Dimensions of the Soul
by ShadowWriterMSP
Summary: The war was won, but everything was lost. Now Harry is alone with nothing but the ringing in his head reminding him of what he lost. But when a dimensional rift appears in his living room, he may just find a way back to her. To his soul mate. Only in this new dimension, war is still raging. Will Harry be forced to fight once more? (Soul-bond fic, dimension-fic.)
1. Harry's Past

Nineteen-year-old Harry James Potter collapsed backwards onto his narrow bed. He stared blankly at the ceiling above him as was habit now upon getting back to his apartment of a night. He had spent another day in meetings with the entourage from the American Magical Congress, MACUSA.

Once Voldemort had finally been destroyed nearly six months ago, MACUSA sent their own Aurors over to see what state magical Britain was in after the war. What they had found was Harry, face-down in a battle field magically drained and the remains of a huge magical discharge. After they had finally revived Harry, they asked where everyone else was only to receive a blank look and a monotone voice telling them there was nobody left.

As MACUSA informed the larger international magical communities, they began to send in envoys from various countries to help the few refugees that had survived and to hunt any straggling Death Eaters. Once August had rolled around, they started repairs on the ruins of Hogwarts in the hope they might have some usable class rooms and dormitories to use for the new Muggleborn students that had been, for the most part, left untouched by the war.

Throughout all of this, Harry Potter was always invited to bring his opinion forward though he rarely spoke to anyone. What nobody said aloud was that three separate Mind Healers had recommended keeping him occupied as possible. He was classified as a high risk of giving up and attempting to join his family and friends in the next great adventure.

Nobody had said this to Harry, but he knew of the worried look people cast at him. How someone would always show up to his door of a morning to ensure he was still there and alive.

He had wondered if their fears were founded. He would be able to see them all again. His parents, Sirius and Remus would all be there. He would be able to see Sirius laugh again, hear his mother's voice. Seen Remus smile shyly at Tonks as she teased him mercilessly.

Then there would be all the Weasleys, his unofficial family. He would be able to joke with the twins, chat seriously with Bill, talk Muggle technology with Arthur and enjoy Molly's cooking.

Also there would be Ron and Hermione. They had been with him for so long in the war only to fall in a trap to Voldemort's own killing curse. It had nearly destroyed Harry. They had only been unofficially married for a month before their lives had been snatched away.

The only thing that had kept Harry going at that point had been Ginny. His sweet Ginny. After Ron and Hermione's deaths she had given him the time and safety to recover, making sure they moved frequently to avoid detection and ensuring he still ate correctly. He had been immeasurably grateful to her once he had finally come out of his mourning and realised how much she had done for him. Ginny had never pushed him to talk, but quietly held him as he cried and never gave up on him or lost her temper.

It had taken them both by surprise back in Harry's sixth year when, upon starting a romantic relationship, the soul-bond that that been simmering out of sight their whole lives had suddenly activated. It had been a confusing few weeks as their minds started to link and they found themselves in need of a certain amount of physical contact with one another every day. After many hours of research into old bonds, and several loud shouting matches between Ginny and her mother, Harry and Ginny had finally been moved into the Head Boy's rooms so as to actually get any sleep and fulfil the need for several hours of contact as they slept.

From then on, Harry and Ginny had been inseparable and were rarely ever seen without the other. Ginny had been accelerated into Harry's classes, using her newfound access to Harry's memories, and they had come to realise they were a team in everything they did. If one of them was in a bad mood, the other would also be in a sympathetic rage. They never raged at each other though – there seemed little point shouting at a piece of yourself. And when emotions had turned sad, they would turn to each other for comfort only their soul mate could provide. Harry and Ginny had discussed after Dumbledore's untimely death that they would stick together through the whole war. Even until death, if that is what it took.

But while their minds had linked closely, their magic seemed to remain mostly separate. The reason for this eluded them until, in the first battle of Hogwarts, they found the truth of Harry being a Horcrux of Voldemort's. After they realised what it meant, Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest to meet his death. Ginny only stayed behind to ensure Voldemort would be finished before inevitably joining him. What neither of them had anticipated was, upon the loss of Riddle's soul fragment in Harry, the block on their soul bond had been removed, effectively summoning Harry's soul back to his body. Upon returning, he had been teleported to Ginny's side in a flash of light, alerting Voldemort to his failure at having killed The Boy Who Lived yet again.

From there, Harry had discovered 'the power he knows not'. The soul bond had merged Harry's and Ginny's magical cores together and enhanced the result to such an extent that they could overwhelm most Death Eaters on pure power. Unfortunately, it had taken too long to recover from surviving the killing curse a second time and Hogwarts had fallen along with most of the students who tried to fight.

As Harry and Ginny had grown confident in their stronger magical core, they had begun to overwhelm previously impossible odds without requiring any particular skill. They simply overpowered their own shields whilst simultaneously overpowering their spells to smash through the Death Eaters' shields.

It was this lack of technique that had cost them dearly, however, when they finally cornered Voldemort on the ground of Hogwarts for the final fight. It had not been the great epic battle between opposing armies one might expect with Dark creatures on all sides and hundreds of spells arcing through the sky. There simply wasn't enough people left on either side. In the end, it had been Harry and Ginny against Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy, the other Death Eaters either unconscious or dead.

Ginny had just finally reaped her vengeance upon Malfoy for the incident with Tom Riddle's Diary, all those years ago, when it all went wrong. Her momentary elation had flooded Harry through the bond filling them both with the confidence that, now alone, Voldemort was as good as finished. They had Riddle on the back foot, but still he fought, firing as many destructive spells in rapid succession as he could to ensure they both remained on the defensive.

Just as Harry thought he had started to go mad, with every spell being rejected by a shield, he suddenly lashed out with the killing curse. Even the strongest of shields couldn't block that spell and it had hit Ginny before either of them had time to even flinch. The resulting magical discharge resulting from Harry's anguish and the severing of the soul bond had blasted Voldemort back, knocking him unconscious, leaving Harry to catch Ginny as she fell, lifeless, into his arms. All he could hear was the echoing nothingness in his mind as he screamed out for Ginny to respond. All he could see was her face, with eyes already glazed and lifeless. All he felt was despair and emptiness, feeling alone for the first time since they had first bonded.

Harry felt tears slide down his cheeks as he remembered that day, clear as if it were still happening. He had finally remembered Voldemort and had looked up expecting to see his death approaching, to welcome it. At least he would return to Ginny. But instead he saw Voldemort, his wand disintegrated, laying several meters away with blood seeping from where his head had hit the ground.

Harry barely remembered what happened next, except he had eventually came to, finding himself standing over the remains of Voldemort's body, panting with the exertion, and feeling thoroughly drained.

Harry stood quickly and started moving mechanically about his flat, anything to distract himself from the dark memories that threatened to consume him every day. He didn't understand why he was still trying to live. Of all recorded soul bonds throughout history, if one member died, the other usually followed within a matter of months, if not days. And yet here he was still, alive, and with a sense that he was waiting for something.

After tidying himself up from the day, and eating a meagre dinner, Harry collapsed back into bed and soon drifted off to sleep. He hadn't slept well since Ginny's death. Nightmares plagued his every night, ranging from the early deaths of Cedric and Sirius, up to the most recent of Ron, Hermione and, of course, Ginny.

Tonight however, something different happened. Harry jerked awake suddenly, senses on full alert, as if something had woken him. He lay perfectly still, breathing slowly, straining his ears to identify any noises in his flat. When he heard nothing, he reached out with his magic, feeling for any unusual signatures that might indicate somebody else inside. What he found instead was a magical disturbance in his own living room. It didn't feel like any kind of living creature but part of it, ever so faintly, felt familiar.

Harry got up quietly, threw on his black dragon-hide cloak and boots, collected his invisibility cloak and his wands, and moved out into the corridor. He stowed the Elder wand in a hidden holster in his left arm while holding his repaired Holly and Phoenix feather wand out ahead of him. Sneaking slowly down the hall, Harry came to the door into the living room which he inched open with the tip of his wand. What he saw was a light show.

In the middle of the room, swirling and sparking, was a sphere of brilliant light, throwing bright patterns onto the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room. Harry looked at it in shock. This was powerful magic, the likes of which he had never seen before. And why did it seem familiar to him?

He reached out again with his magic to try and identify it and nearly fell backward in shock. He could feel Ginny. The soul bond seemed to hum for the first time since her death, the echoing emptiness in his head took on a higher frequency. Harry stared, wide-eyed at the sphere of light. Was this a portal to the afterlife? Would he finally be reacquainted with his friends and family?

Harry looked around the room briefly, thinking about what was left in the world. The answer - not much. And if he died, well, maybe he would find some peace. He straightened up, gripped his wand tightly by his side and strode forward towards the light.

And Harry James Potter ceased to exist in this world.

* * *

 _A/N: This is just an idea that has been bugging me for ages. I like soul-bond stories, but so many focus on it first forming, I wanted a story where it already existed, now get into the rest of the story. I'm not sure how long this will be, but I am a very slow writer, you have been warned. Later chapters may be slow to appear. Also, if you love the premise here, and want to write a story like this, I have no claim to Harry Potter or this setup, so feel more than free to use it._


	2. Ginny's Past

The first thing Harry became aware of was pressure. There was blackness all around, pushing in on him, rather like apparition only lasting far longer. He couldn't breathe, and started to panic. Maybe this had all been a trap and this was his death. Just as he began to lose consciousness, light and air began to seep back into the world. He became vaguely aware of a circle of people standing around him, wands all directed at him, and a large magic circle drawn on the ground around him.

The world suddenly sharpened into full focus and, still struggling to breathe, Harry collapsed onto a cold stone floor. He looked up blearily trying to fight for consciousness when he was met with a sight he hadn't seen in many years.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry mumbled, confused.

Then, barely registering the look of shock that crossed the Dumbledore-look-alike's face, Harry finally sunk into the blackness around his vision.

* * *

Ginevra Molly Weasley, or Ginny, as she preferred to be known, was sitting quietly in the kitchen in the Burrow nursing a cup of tea. Her parents and older brothers had gone to a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix leaving her home with her sister-in-law Fleur and baby Victoria. From what she'd managed to overhear her parents saying, having borrowed some of Fred and Georges' extendable ears, this meeting was a big one. Most of the Order was meant to be there tonight. The reason why wasn't entirely clear to Ginny. It had sounded like they were recruiting more help but the wording her mother had used once seemed…odd. Molly Weasley had said Dumbledore was going to 'summon' some help.

Ginny contemplated this word as she sat quietly sipping her tea. Were they perhaps performing some kind of summoning ritual? If so, were they hoping to summon a magical creature to tame that might help with the effort against Voldemort? Or were they simply using fancy language for meeting some people who were from another country, coming to help.

Either way, Ginny didn't understand the point. Since the Boy-Who-Lived had died a few months ago, there seemed to be little hope left of anyone having the power required to take down Voldemort for good.

She sighed as her thoughts turned, as they inevitably always did back to Harry and the empty void that was now one half of her mind. Ginny had been only eleven when she had formed a soul-bond with Harry Potter as he saved her from a Basilisk and the memory of young Tom Riddle, who later became Voldemort. For a few minutes, she and Harry had shared arguably one of the most beautiful magical connections in the world, linking their minds, hearts, and souls together. And then the Basilisk venom had finished its job, and Harry had died right there in her arms. Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, had done his best to try heal the wounds caused, but one fang had hit Harry deep in the shoulder, sending the venom into his heart and brain too fast for Fawkes' tears to combat.

After Harry died, Ginny was left, more alone than ever, stuck in the Chamber of Secrets with half of her soul torn away and neither the knowledge or the strength to get out. It had taken nearly an hour for the teachers and her parents to clear a rockfall out of the way to get to the Chamber where they found an inconsolable Ginny weeping over Harry's body.

Ginny tried to think back and remember when she had properly felt happy after that day. No moments seemed to stand out to her. She had become withdrawn from the world, focusing more on her school work than on people.

She tried to imagine what her life may have been like if only Harry had survived. Trying to consider a world where she hadn't met him was no better than the hell she already knew.

He would be here with her, just sitting at the table, complaining about the Order not treating them as adults. Ginny wouldn't feel incomplete, and the void in her mind would be filled with Harry.

She could even imagine what it might feel like to be able to feel Harry's presence again. It would be like a small tug, and a vague impression of... Grimmauld Place?

Ginny bolted upright out of her chair, eyes wide. She could feel Harry! He was very faint, as if some great distance separated them, but she could feel him. Ginny moved quickly into the living room, determined to floo straight to the Order's Headquarters.

Snatching a handful of powder in one shaking hand, she threw it onto the flames and quickly called out,

"12 Grimmauld Place!"

And nothing happened. Ginny cursed colourfully as she remembered they locked the floo down for this meeting.

She stepped back out of the fireplace and started pacing, agitatedly, in front of the couch waiting for her parents to return. Back and forth she paced, not seeing the rest of the room, but focusing inward with all her strength on the gossamer thin connection she could feel to Harry.

How could he be alive? Ginny had been there when he died, she'd felt him disappear from her mind. Unless... She thought back to what she'd heard about this meeting. The Order wanted to summon help. Those were their words, summon, not recruit. Did the Order somehow reanimate her soulmate? Surely, they wouldn't go so far as to use the Dark Arts required to do that. But even if they had, why reanimate Harry? It would make more sense to bring back the Boy-Who-Lived in order to bring down Voldemort, and that had been Neville Longbottom. Unless they didn't mean to bring back Harry and something went wrong.

Ginny didn't know what to think. Thoughts ricochet through her mind faster than she could keep up with as she continued to walk rapidly around the sofa.

Finally, the floo flared up again and Ginny's dad stepped through followed closely by her mum. Arthur looked up to see Ginny waiting and smiled at her.

"Hello there, firefly. Sorry the meeting took so long –"

Ginny cut him off, "Where's Harry?" demanded.

Her parents looked at her, shocked. Molly cast a quick sideways glance at Arthur before responding.

"Harry, dear? Harry who?" she said carefully.

Ginny growled.

"Harry Potter of course! I know he's at headquarters, I can feel him there. How did you bring him back? And why him? I have to see him!" she moved to push past her parents back towards the floo when her father caught her gently around the waist.

"Now, Ginny. Harry can't be at headquarters. He's still where he has been for the last seven years, in Godric's Hollow. We can go visit him tomorrow if you like, leave some fresh flowers," he said quietly.

Arthur sighed to himself as Ginny slumped in his arms and collapsed back onto the couch. He could see her trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall again. He carefully sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Arthur was at a loss about what to say to Ginny. Ever since the horrors of the Chamber in her first year, Ginny had been withdrawn and depressed. She had never shown any interest in dating, despite several boys asking her out, and had made seemingly no attempt at getting over the death of her idol and friend. Every month, she would quietly ask to be taken to his grave in Godric's Hollow where she would leave a small bouquet of flowers; different ones each time.

He had hoped that Ginny would be getting better but now this young man had shown up as a result of the ritual the Order had performed. Dumbledore had been getting desperate. With no candidates left to fulfill the Prophesy, and Voldemort getting stronger every day, Dumbledore had found an ancient ritual to summon a person from another dimension into their own. They had focused everything on getting the Boy-Who-Lived but halfway through, something seemed to change. The ritual had 'shifted', for lack of a better word, and latched onto someone it found more suitable. And that had been this Harry Potter look-alike.

Not knowing how to take this development, Dumbledore had quickly moved the young man into a secure bedroom in headquarters and asked anyone who had been attached to the young Harry Potter to leave until they were sure who they had. As always with the Order, safety came first. Even when you may have just summoned a long dead family member from another world.

* * *

A/N: Here is the look into the world Harry has now joined. This has Ginny's history, and should help to explain what happened to this world's Harry. Next chapter, we swap back to Harry again for a time.


	3. A New World

Harry woke up in pain. He lay there, confused, as he did a quick inventory of his current state. His magical core appeared to be almost completely depleted but he appeared to have no physical injuries. As he pondered this, it all came back to him in a rush. The portal-like magical disturbance, the sensation akin to apparition only much worse, then Professor Dumbledore?

Harry sat up sharply. He remembered why he had stepped into the portal. Ginny. He could feel Ginny once more. She was distant though, and he could tell she wasn't in the same house. Thinking of the house, Harry finally looked around the small bedroom he found himself in. It was rather dark, gloomy with a definite theme of black in the décor. Harry realised he must be in Grimmauld Place but how did he get here? And why did he remember Dumbledore? If this was the afterlife, why would it be so depressing and devoid of his closest family.

Getting up from the bed, Harry made his way over to the door, intending to get answers. Before he reached it, however, it made a strange sound Harry recognised as having wards lowered, before swinging open. The fact that Harry was warded in was immediately forgotten though as he took in the person standing in the now open doorway.

Albus Dumbledore stood, resplendent in fine purple robes with stars twinkling around the hemline. But this was lost on Harry who was studying his old mentors face. A face that seemed much older, more weary and lined than Harry ever remembered seeing it. There was no twinkle in this man's eyes and he looked like a man who had lost hope but was too stubborn to give up.

It occurred to Harry that Dumbledore had said something to him while he was too wrapped up in taking in the unexpected sight of his dead mentor.

"Umm, sorry?" he said, snapping back into reality to find Dumbledore smiling at him.

"I asked if I might come in and have a chat with you, my boy," Dumbledore said cheerfully dismissing the fact that Harry had completely ignored him the first time.

"Oh, umm, sure," Harry said eloquently, waving Dumbledore in as he returned to sit on the bed.

With a flick of his wand, the aged wizard conjured a plush purple armchair and sat down facing Harry. It was silent as they stared at one another. After a short time, Harry felt a familiar tingle in his eyes that he recognised as legilimency. He didn't even blink as his mind was completely surrounded by the void that used to be his Ginny.

Dumbledore quickly stopped his mental intrusion, a flicker of confusion showing briefly on his face.

"I believe I haven't introduced myself, I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. I imagine you're a little confused as to where you are and how you got here," he said.

Harry frowned, "Sir, we've known each other since I was eleven."

"Ah, have we? If you would humour an old man and tell me your name perhaps?" Dumbledore said mildly.

Harry stood up sharply from the bed and glared at the intruder.

"Who are you? And how did you get into my house?" he said harshly.

"Your house?" the old man asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"This is Grimmauld Place, isn't it?" Harry asked. "I've owned it since Sirius -"

He broke off, his mind whirling. If this man before his really was Dumbledore, then maybe Sirius would be alive too. He focused again on the man in front of him.

"You say you're Dumbledore. Can you prove it?" Harry said cautiously.

"Certainly," said Dumbledore, "But I'm afraid it may not be so easy. You see, this isn't the world you know. Tell me, are you familiar with the concept of multiple dimensions?"

"Well, Hermione did come across them in some of her research but we never actually used the information," Harry replied. His eyes widened as he thought about the implications of what Dumbledore had just asked. "You mean you are actually Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes, that I am. Would I be able to ask you who you are now?"

"I still want proof," Harry said flatly. "You'll have to forgive my caution, I've been fighting a war for too long now."

Dumbledore stiffened at the mention of a war.

"What proof might I give that you would accept?" he asked.

Harry stopped to think. He couldn't easily ask about Dumbledore's preferences, in this world he may prefer strawberry jam, for example. He may have never become interested in the Deathly Hallows, and may not have the Elder Wand. Really, what could prove it to him?

"Can you summon Fawkes to you, sir?"

"Ah, you know of Fawkes?" Dumbledore exclaimed, sounding delighted. "Of course, my boy, an excellent way to prove my identity and my support of the Light!"

After a brief moment of concentration by Dumbledore, a brilliant red and gold bird, about the size of a swan, appeared in the room with a burst of flames.

"Fawkes!" Harry cried. He hadn't seen the phoenix now for many years, not since his own Dumbledore had died.

Fawkes gently alighted on the bed next to Harry and trilled at him. Harry felt a rush of warmth flow through him as he calmed down, stroking the bird's long feathers.

"Good to see you again," he whispered quietly to the phoenix.

"You seem to be quite familiar with my phoenix there, Mr…" Dumbledore said.

Harry sighed.

"Fawkes helped to save my life one time. And that of my…friend," he broke off just before calling Ginny by name or referring to her as his soulmate. "But, I am confused professor, this may be an alternative dimension, but why do you not know me?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, looking wary at Harry's continued avoidance of his identity.

"Well, I can of course make a very good guess based of your appearance alone, but if I am correct, your counterpart died in this world many years ago. I can only guess that you may be the son of Lily and James Potter. That being the case, I am somewhat confused as to why it is you that was summoned here."

"Who were you expecting?" Harry said, frowning.

"Well, we were rather hoping to summon an alternate Neville Longbottom to help take down Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore stated.

"So, you wanted the Boy-Who-Lived to fulfill your prophecy, is that it?" Harry asked bitterly.

Dumbledore sat up straighter and looked at Harry with a piercing gaze.

"Neville wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived in your world, was he? You're not just a child of Lily and James, you're Harry, aren't you?" he said quietly.

"You always were a clever one, professor," Harry said. He paused before, "Sir, you said my counterpart died in this world. Was that on Halloween 1981?"

Dumbledore sighed to himself.

"No. The Harry of this world died a hero saving Ginevra Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets. He was bitten by a Basilisk in the process, and the venom spread much too fast to be saved. Even Fawkes here was unable to help."

"But Ginny survived?" Harry said, leaning forwards. "She's okay?"

Whatever reaction Harry was expecting, seeing Dumbledore lean back and fix him with a suspicious glare was not it.

"What is your interest in young Miss Weasley, if I may ask?" the professor said with a cool tone.

Harry blinked in surprise.

"That is rather personal," he said neutrally. "I should like to see her."

"I don't think that is a good idea, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said. "You'll forgive me, but you are something of a wild card just now. You aren't who we tried to summon, and I know nothing about you. Since the ordeal in the Chamber, Miss Weasley has been…fragile, to say the least. And when Lord Voldemort recently learned of her involvement with his old diary, he became rather interested in kidnapping her for some reason of his own. If we add to this that somehow you have the strangest occlumency I have ever seen, I am not entirely inclined to just trust you. Especially given that only Miss Weasley herself has the same occlumency, I may wonder if you didn't somehow disrupt the ritual to gain access to her in some scheme of Lord Voldemort's. You say you were fighting a war; so are we. And we must be cautious."

Happy just gaped at the man.

"So, I can't see her because she's fragile, and I have occlumency barriers?" he said, incredulously.

"If you can prove to us that you are on our side, and fight this war with us, then we will be glad to send you back to your world," Dumbledore said with a note of finality.

Harry stood, and let the life that had leached back into his character at the feel of Ginny alive in the world drain away again. He looked down at the headmaster, cold green eyes boring into piercing blue. Dumbledore shifted ever so slightly, struggling to hide a note of discomfort.

"You pulled me from my home, and dragged me into this war of yours. As you say, the prophecy was different in my world; I am the Boy-Who-Lived," he said coldly, pushing back his fringe to display his lightning bolt scar. "If you want my help, you'll let me see Ginny first. Until then, I will not fight for you."

Dumbledore now stood too, and let the chair behind him disappear.

"It seems we are at an impasse then," the old man said. "The wards on this room are particularly effective, so I do hope you'll reconsider."

With that, Dumbledore turned and strode out of the room, closing the door behind him. A momentary soft glow around the edges indicated the wards on the room being raised to lock Harry in once more.

Harry simply stood in shock. What had happened in this world to make Dumbledore so distrusting. The man who was criticised for giving people too many chances to redeem themselves. He shook his head, not understanding what must have changed. From what he could gather, both Neville, and his own counterpart had died in this world, leaving nobody left to fulfil the prophecy to take down Lord Voldemort. He wondered how long it had been since the Light had lost their Chosen One.

Looking around the room again, Harry saw nothing else to do, so he laid back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He could feel that Ginny was alive in this world. That was all that mattered. He didn't want to be sent back to his own world, where the Wizarding World was all but gone from Britain. And then there was something Dumbledore had mentioned. Ginny had a similar form of Occlumency barrier to what Harry had. But Harry didn't know Occlumency, he was just naturally immune to any kind of mind invasion as a result of the soul bond with his Ginny. Which means that this Ginny must have bonded to this world's Harry in the Chamber, to the point of a mind link.

Harry sat bolt upright, having suddenly gone pale. The Chamber events had happened when Ginny was only eleven, assuming the time frame was consistent in this world. Which meant that Ginny had lived with the emptiness of having her soulmate die for almost seven years. He leapt up and started to pace rapidly, trying to dispel his sudden anxiety. Dumbledore had said she was fragile and Harry hadn't believed him; Ginny had always been so strong. But if she had formed a soul bond, even for a few minutes in the Chamber, just to have it ripped away at the age of eleven, it was a wonder she was still sane.

He needed to see her, somehow. Maybe, just maybe, he could help to heal her.

* * *

Ginny snuck quickly up the stairs in the Burrow back into her room. Moving swiftly, she opened her wardrobe door, pushed aside some clothes and pulled forwards a thin, flesh-coloured piece of string. Last summer, her twin brothers, Fred and George had given her two extra-long versions of their Extendable Ears which she had then spent several days carefully wiring through the roof and walls of the Burrow to give her access to listen, at will, to anything in either the kitchen or the living room downstairs. This was her only way of getting information, since her mother refused to let her join the Order saying it wasn't safe for her, especially as Voldemort had taken an interest in her capture for some reason. Ginny hadn't been told as such – she had heard it from one of the first meetings she had listened to from the confines of her wardrobe as she was doing now.

The reason she was here now was because Dumbledore had just arrived downstairs and requested to speak to her parents alone. This was not uncommon of itself, but the strange look Dumbledore had given her suggested to Ginny that this talk might be about her.

Holding the string up to her ear, Ginny heard her mother talking.

"-still be in danger, surely?"

"Ah, Molly, I don't know what to think just yet. All I know is the boy showed a remarkable amount of interest in meeting her, and her alone. He never mentioned his own family or friends," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Is he who we thought he was, Albus?" Mr Weasley asked.

"I'm afraid so, Arthur."

"Might it be better to let him see her under our controlled conditions?" Arthur continued. "She was asking to see him. Said she could feel him somehow."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore sounded surprised. "I wonder if I missed something when examining her after the Chamber. Some kind of link or bond formed from a life debt perhaps? But, even if that were the case, I think seeing him would be more detrimental to your daughter's state of mind when he returns back to his own world."

"Couldn't we just explain to him that she isn't available, or maybe died in this world? How would he know any different?"

"Molly, Albus, I'm afraid I don't see the issue with letting him see Ginny, what could the harm be? It might just help her recover and move on knowing that somewhere, he is well and happy," Mr Weasley said.

"As it stands, Arthur, I cannot trust him," Dumbledore said gravely. "He has impossibly good occlumency, the likes of which I'm very unfamiliar with, and he is not happy. He seems to be cold and unfeeling about everything except the prospect of seeing Miss Weasley. Especially when we consider that Voldemort has expressed an interest in having her for some plans of his own, I have to wonder if the ritual was not somehow interrupted, giving us a sympathiser of Voldemort. He may appear to be Harry Potter, but for all we know, Harry Potter may have been a Death Eater in his own world."

Ginny jerked backwards, letting the thin cord fall to the floor of her wardrobe. Now she knew what the Order had been doing earlier. It made sense now why she could feel Harry somehow after all these years. They had summoned him from another dimension. She had heard Hermione mentioning dimensional travel a few times when she though Ginny wasn't listening. She must have finished her research for the Order and found some way to summon help. But why would it have summoned Harry? And why did nobody want to let her see him?

Ginny flopped back onto her bed and sighed. Obviously, she wouldn't get any answers here. She could already hear chairs moving around downstairs, indicating Dumbledore was taking his leave.

Ginny sat up again, and moved to sit cross-legged in the middle of her bed. She listened intently for a few more moments to make sure nobody was coming upstairs before she turned her attention to her desk in front of her. She raised her hands out to either side of her body and, without a word, levitated every piece of furniture in the room off the floor.

* * *

 _A/N: Another chapter here for you. From this point, updates will likely slow down as I haven't written the rest of the story yet. But it is still progressing. I'm just a perfectionist, so it gets many rewrites before you see the final results. I should also mention, as may be becoming evident, this story will swing to and fro between Harry and Ginny's points of view. I hope it isn't too disconcerting. The reason for this is, it is my preferred method of portraying the soul-bond. That is, they have a linked mind so they both experience the world together once the bond is formed. To limit the story to just one POV would remove half of the active thought processes, so just doesn't make as much sense to me._

 _Having said all that, this is my first story, and I really do appreciate any feedback. :) Thanks for reading, and I hope you are enjoying so far. There is already an overall story arc planned, and this story shouldn't be too terribly long. But as my chapters seem to be fairly short (by chance, not design) it may be a far number of chapters. Maybe 20 or so, I'm not sure yet._


	4. An Unexpected Meeting

The next morning, after a troubled night's sleep, Harry paced idly around the small bedroom he had been placed in and considered his situation. He was in a new dimension. And even here, they wanted him to help take down Voldemort.

Of course, this would happen to him, he thought with a snort. Ginny used to always tease him about his dreams for a quiet life, saying the whole world seemed determined to ensure his life was anything but quiet.

He sighed as he wondered about his next move. He could break out of the room easily enough – having the increased magical core from the soul-bond, the wards on the door could be overloaded with little effort, though he wasn't sure what the possible backlash might be. Knowing Dumbledore, they would be designed to alert him and likely several other members of the Order immediately thus reducing any chance Harry might get at escape. But if they tried to keep him from Ginny for too long, that may just be worth the price.

For now, Harry decided he was best playing along and seeing where that got him. If he could just gain Dumbledore's trust – but no. That wasn't important now! He wouldn't fight their war without knowing Ginny was okay.

Harry scuffed his shoes on the floorboards as his thoughts swung back and forth between deciding to help or to just break out and find Ginny himself. He focused in on the void in his mind, that was normally so empty but now held a gossamer thin thread. A link to the Ginny of this world. He focused on it with all his mind and caught a faint sense of warmth and homeliness he had come to associate with the Burrow.

Harry realised if the Burrow was still standing, there was a good chance some of the other Weasleys had also survived. He hadn't even considered that there may be others alive in this world, so focused had he been on the thoughts of seeing Ginny once more. If she was alive and 'fragile' as Dumbledore put it, she wouldn't be alone at the Burrow which suggested that Mr and Mrs Weasley were both still alive here. Maybe Ron and Hermione would still be alive too.

It had been too many months since Harry had last heard his best friends' voices. He smiled at the thought of listening to Hermione lecturing Ron on proper table manners while Ron continued to shovel food into his mouth at high speed. Just the thought of tasting Mrs Weasley's excellent cooking again was enough to make Harry's mouth start to water in anticipation.

Harry was soon pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of shouting getting closer to the door and the feeling of the wards shifting. He moved towards the door to try and listen more clearly but, before he could move more than one step across the room, the closer voice shouted,

" – and I'll be damned if I don't get to see him, James!" and the door slammed open.

Harry froze.

He had just considered the Weasleys might be alive, and Hermione too. Dumbledore clearly was still alive in this world, maybe some of the other Professors were too. He hoped that maybe Lupin and Tonks were still alive, and that Teddy hadn't been brutally killed with his Grandmother. He'd even considered Snape might be alive.

But this, he hadn't even dreamed of.

Standing in the doorway, green eyes still flashing with anger from her shouting, red hair starting to come free from a long braid, was none other than Lily Potter. As Harry adjusted to the shock, he realised she was still brandishing her wand at him.

"Tell me your name!" she demanded. "Your full name, and don't you dare lie to me!"

Harry gulped.

"Umm, Harry James Potter," he muttered. "And I'm not lying."

The arm holding her wand trembled as Lily stared into his matching green eyes before she suddenly launched herself across the room to grab Harry in a very tight hug.

"Oh, Harry! My little boy, you've come back!" she cried, sobbing freely into his shoulder.

Harry awkwardly lifted his arms and placed them around Lily's shoulders. Around his mother's shoulders. He didn't know what to think. The idea that he might still have parents in this world both excited and terrified him at the same time. Would they accept him willingly or would they be disappointed to see what he had become?

Lily suddenly pulled back away from him, and wiped furiously at the tears on face.

"So, you're from another dimension then?" she said briskly, trying to contain her emotions.

"Err, yeah. But it's not much of a place back there," Harry said.

"Not much of a place?" Lily said, narrowing her eyes. "Tell me about your life then. Was it much the same as this world up until…well…"

She broke off, unable to mention her son's death.

"I think it must have been very different," Harry said, drinking in the sight of his mother standing in front of him. No, not his mother. Some other, long-dead Harry's mother. Surely this Lily would soon realise that he wasn't her son and then she would undoubtedly avoid him, anxious to avoid the reminder of her own son.

Lily seemed to sense the turmoil in Harry as she guided him gently back to sit on the bed where she then sat down next to him, rubbing her hand soothingly over his back. Harry closed his eyes, trying not to break down in tears at the unfamiliar comfort.

When he regained some of his composure, he carefully opened his eyes and, after a glance to see Lily still looking intently at him, he averted his eyes and started quietly.

"I think my world diverted from this one around Halloween of 1981," Harry said carefully.

Beside him, Lily stiffened, clearly understanding what he was referencing.

"Neville wasn't the Boy Who Lived, was he?" she whispered.

Harry sighed.

"No, he wasn't," he said pushing back his fringe in the oh-so-familiar motion to show the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. "When Voldemort killed my parents, their sacrifice helped to give me a protection that reflected the killing curse back onto him," he said quickly, trying to ignore the fact the woman sat next to him was his mother from another world.

Lily chocked back a sob and immediately took him into a warm hug again.

"I'm so sorry I was never there for you. I guess, its funny, I've lost you in this world, and you never knew me in your world. Maybe we can both accept each other here?" she said, sounding rather hesitant but with a note of desperation in her voice too.

Harry broke at the sound of pleading she used.

"O-of course," he stuttered. "I'd like to get to know you and – and dad."

Lily pulled away, her expression darkening.

"I hope you can get to know him too. But right now, he isn't so trusting of you to not be some plot by Voldemort," she said grimly.

Harry could well believe it. From what stories he had been told of his parents, they were fiercely loyal to Dumbledore, and he didn't seem keen to trust Harry either.

"If he and Dumbledore don't trust me, why are you here?" Harry asked quietly.

Lily looked at him sadly, her eyes misty.

"You're my son," she said simply. "I don't care if you're from another world, or if you're a Dark wizard, you will always be my son."

Unable to form any coherent words, Harry did something he had only ever been known to do to Ginny before now, and took his mother in a tight hug. He buried his face into her shoulder and cried. He cried for all the times he had wished for a mother's love and for all the times he had wondered whether she would even like the person he had become. His mother held him just as tightly, rubbing his back and whispering comforting words to him as he cried himself out.

* * *

Ginny looked up as her dad made his way into the kitchen and sat at the head of the table for breakfast. He smiled tiredly as he said good morning before focusing on the morning's Daily Prophet. Ginny watched as her mother placed a warm coffee in front of him without a word. She narrowed her eyes as she considered that simple act. Her parents had each other. Why couldn't she be with Harry? She felt…betrayed. Maybe they would be more susceptible to the idea now they had slept on it.

"Mum, Dad," she said, pausing to get their attention, "I'd like to see Harry, please."

"Absolutely not!" Molly snapped immediately.

"Molly!" Arthur said with a sharp warning tone. He sighed.

"I'm not sure that would be the best idea just now, Ginny," he said gently.

Ginny looked at him blankly.

"Why not?" she challenged.

Arthur sighed again.

"We don't know anything about him, Ginny. He might be dangerous."

"Why would he be dangerous? It's Harry! Remember him? Mum, you used to love Harry, always making treacle tart when he came around. Dad, you used to love quizzing him about the muggle technology his mum taught him to use. Why won't you trust him now?" she said, letting the frustration edge into her tone.

"Ginny, he isn't the same Harry. This isn't our Harry. He died. This man, well, he's…colder from what Dumbledore said. He has already fought in a war, and shows little interest in fighting in ours. That isn't the warm and happy boy we knew, who would risk his own life to save his friends. If he doesn't even act the same, how can we be sure he is the same person?" her dad said, trying to reason with her.

Ginny fell silent again, thinking how she might convince them. If only she could get close to him, she would be able to feel him, and know if he was still her Harry or not.

"If I can just be allowed in the room, maybe with someone else, just to be safe. Surely, he won't be able to do anything if there is some else there. Dumbledore himself, if that's what it takes!"

Arthur sighed yet again. He seemed to be doing that a lot since Neville died and the Ministry had fallen.

"I'll ask Albus next time I see him and that is all I will say," he said firmly.

He shook his head at Molly as she frowned at him, warning her not to argue. Ginny just smiled and hugged her father.

"Thanks Dad," she murmured, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"But not until Albus approves it himself!" her mother added sharply.

Ginny just rolled her eyes as she moved back up to her room, passing Ron on the stairs as he blearily headed down for breakfast.

It wasn't exactly a victory, but it was progress in the right direction. Now, all Ginny needed was for Dumbledore himself to give her the go ahead. She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously as she realised that was very unlikely. Everyone seemed to know her as fragile these days, and she had done nothing to disabuse people of the notion. She simply hadn't cared enough about their opinions. With Voldemort still a threat, she had spent too many hours locked away practicing defence, only enhancing the image that she was quiet and reclusive. What a shock the world would be in for when she finally got Harry back.

* * *

"Mum?" Harry said hesitantly.

"Yes dear?" Lily replied.

After Harry had calmed down, he and Lily had sat in his room and talked about some of the less important differences between their two worlds. Who had ended up dating who, and which team won the Quidditch World Cup; the unimportant details. Neither had yet strayed into the uncomfortable topic of the fight against Voldemort, or the mention of anybody's death.

Now, however, Harry wanted to ask the only question he wanted to get an answer for. He sought around for the right words for a few moments.

"Why doesn't anyone trust me here?" he said slowly.

"I trust you, dear!" Lily said quickly.

"Then why are we still sitting in a sealed room for this conversation where I have no wand?" he shot back.

Lily frowned at him, a strange look in her eyes.

"The war has been…unpleasant here," she said. "With the Order standing as the only defence since the fall of the Ministry a few months ago, we have already had two attempted infiltrations try to bring us down from the inside. We lost two safe houses to those incidents. Thankfully we still have Hogwarts and, of course, here among a few other places even I don't know about."

"Why is the Order not fighting more actively then?" Harry asked curiously.

"Harry, you must understand, we're not strong enough. As it stands, the war is as good as over. We just try to help any refugees out of the country and, for the most part, keep our heads down. The only saving grace is, if Voldemort can be taken down, his entire regime will fall with him, as so many people in the Ministry are either afraid to stand against him, or under the Imperius curse."

"So, you summoned a new Chosen One to fight him for you?" Harry said, feeling the bitterness well up again. He had sworn to be done with the fighting when Ginny died. Harry hated the war, but even more, he hated to concept that the world was on his shoulders. Here, he was an unknown factor. He could just be nobody, and live a quiet life in peace. If only it weren't for Voldemort. Again. His whole life had been defined by Voldemort, it seemed, and it was still affecting him in this new world. The only reason he hadn't just demanded to be sent back to his own world was the chance that this world might be better. He could feel Ginny, and he wouldn't leave this world without her. And now that he had parents again, he saw no good reason to leave at all.

Harry was startled out of his reflection by his mother shifting from the chair opposite to sit beside him and pull him into a hug.

"I don't want you to have to fight, Harry," she said gently. "I don't want you in danger. But if you know anything that might help us, anything at all, I'm sure that would be enough."

Harry shook his head. Information alone wouldn't be enough. He stood up abruptly.

"I need to see Ginny," he said clearly. "Let me see her, and then I'll help. I'll even make sure to take down Voldemort for you. But I don't want to be sent back. The war didn't go so well in my world and there is nothing left for me there. Everyone I ever loved is dead. You bring me Ginny, and then we can talk about the war."

Throughout all this, he spoke firmly, trying to leave no doubt that these were his conditions.

Lily stood up and nodded briskly at him.

"Alright, Harry. I'll talk to Dumbledore to try come to an arrangement," she said.

"Thank you," Harry said, in a softer tone.

She smiled wanly at him, before turning and leaving the room, letting the wards seal him in again once she had left.

* * *

 _A/N: Another chapter done. Fear not, I won't hold you all in suspense for too long. This will be a fairly short story overall. This isn't designed to be a long epic tale. The actual fighting will be fairly minimal and there won't be long, arduous adventures to find the Horcruxes or anything. Harry already knows where most of them are, after all._

 _I should also probably mention, back in chapter one, I did mention that Harry had the Elder Wand, rather specifically. That was going to be particularly relevant in a pivotal scene, but I changed to plot before I got there and that scene was cut. So, this isn't really geared towards focusing on the Deathly Hallows at all. Harry already 'died' and lost the Horcrux in himself in his last world, so there no need for him to try survive the killing curse again. I may try use the Elder wand at some point, but it will be minor. Maybe to avoid Harry's and Voldemort's wands connecting with the brother cores._

 _Someone asked why Harry didn't explain himself better to Dumbledore to gain trust. That is partly because Harry didn't know what to believe in this world, and he is overall very much distracted by the thought of seeing Ginny again. That is the most important to him. Either which way, thank you all for the reviews, I really appreciate the support and hope you're enjoying the story._


	5. Reason and Chaos

"GINNY! Come down to the kitchen, please!"

Ginny sat up from where she had been reading an Auror handbook she had got from Tonks a few weeks ago.

"Coming Mum!" she yelled back.

Ginny quickly stuffed the book under her mattress, out of sight, and moved quickly out of her room and down into the kitchen. She stopped abruptly in the doorway as she saw Dumbledore sitting at the head of the table sipping on a cup of tea while sampling some of the biscuits her mother had placed in front of him.

"Ah, Miss Weasley!" he said with a bright, yet tired smile. "Just the young lady I wished to talk to."

Thrown off by being the reason for the great wizard's visit, Ginny carefully walked into the room and sat down a few seats along from Dumbledore. Dumbledore paid no attention to her cautious attitude, continuing to smile as he complimented Molly on her biscuits which were 'excellent as always'.

Wondering what this was all about, Ginny just sat quietly and waited for Dumbledore to start talking.

"Now, Miss Weasley. I must admit, I find myself faced with a delicate situation of which you seem to be a part of," he started, blue eyes twinkling as he looked at her over the rims of his glasses.

"You see, we seem to have a young man, who claims to be Harry Potter from another dimension, and the Boy-Who-Lived from his world to boot, who you seem most eager to meet with. The fact that he is also so keen to meet you, is what concerns me most however. Either way though, I am most curious as to how you seemed to be aware of his arrival to Grimmauld Place despite having been told nothing about it."

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had dimmed by this point, and Ginny found herself subjected to a far more piercing gaze, as if Dumbledore was trying to read the answer in her very soul.

Straightening subconsciously in her chair, Ginny met the headmaster's gaze and tried to explain what she could.

"After the umm – incident – of my first year, when Harry saved my life, we found ourselves connected, sir. And when he died, I lost that connection. Just the other night, I was sitting here at the table when I could suddenly feel the connection again for the first time. It feels like Harry, but I also get a sense that feels like Grimmauld Place."

Dumbledore knitted his fingers together, and rested his chin on then, as he seemed to stare into space.

"A connection, you say? So, when this connection was first formed, before it was broken, what could you feel at the time?" he said, still staring off at something only he could see.

"Umm, everything Harry could, I guess," she said uncertainly. "I was more preoccupied with the fact that I could feel it fading as he – as he died."

Ginny broke off, trying to maintain hold on her emotions as she remembered the horror of waking up only to feel Harry in pain as darkness gradually filled his vision.

"Strange…" Dumbledore mused. "I wonder how nobody saw it before."

"Saw what, Albus?" Molly said, sounding worried now.

"From the way your daughter describes it, it seems she formed some kind of magical bond with Mr Potter down in the Chamber. Whether it formed there, or if it was already in existence without yet having activated, I do not know. Either way, it is remarkable how well you have been since, Miss Weasley, if I may say so." Dumbledore said, peering at Ginny again.

Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Yet everyone was so happy to just label me as fragile?" she said sharply. "You might have thought that odd, given how lively I always was before Hogwarts."

Molly flinched.

"We always tried to help you, dear, but you never would tell us what was wrong," she said, imploringly.

"Might I assume there was a mental aspect to your link with Harry?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Why do you ask?" Ginny said carefully.

"Well, Miss Weasley, I am particularly skilled in the art of Legilimency, or reading the surface thoughts and feeling of people, if I choose to. However, both you and the young man at headquarters have a very strange impenetrable barrier that seems to prevent me from finding your thoughts at all, let alone identifying them. Normally, a person might have a barrier to block intrusions, but with you, I cannot find anything."

"You tried to read my mind?" Ginny practically growled. "And Harry's? Who gave you the right?"

"Ginny, really! Mind your tongue!" Molly admonished.

"No matter, Molly, I believe she has every right to be upset," Dumbledore said calmly. "However, Miss Weasley, I hope you can realise, you had just been possessed by a fearsome Dark object and I wished to ensure your mind was entirely your own. As for Mr Potter, I still find it difficult to trust him until I have more time to spend getting to know him. Legilimency would allow me to trust what he says much faster."

"And why don't you trust him, professor?" Ginny challenged. "You, who gave Malfoy a second chance, gave Snape a chance. You seem content to trust the untrustworthy,"

Ginny was getting upset now. The pull to Harry was starting to turn into a stronger itch, and the old man kept on giving her feeble excuses that held no merit to her mind.

Dumbledore sat upright upon hearing Ginny's harsh tone.

"I have always done my best to try allow people to redeem themselves, it is true, and I have often been proud when I turned out to be correct. But the war isn't going well, Miss Weasley. The last few times I trusted people, the Order lost two safe houses, the Ministry fell to Voldemort, and an assassination attempt on my own life cost us our own Professor McGonagall inside the walls of Hogwarts itself.

"A great number of people are looking to me now, and I am trying not to make the same mistakes of my past. If it so happens that I am wrong on this matter, the consequences are far less dire than if I am found to be right."

He sighed, and slumped down in his chair, running a hand over his eyes.

"I do apologise for my outburst, Miss Weasley, Molly. These are difficult times. I've just had a meeting with Mrs Potter, also demanding that her 'son', as she insists on calling him, is allowed the freedom to see you, Miss Weasley. If he would discuss some form of agreement, then I might be willing to allow him some chances to prove himself, but as it stands, he is refusing to help. I cannot force him to help us against his will, or I risk becoming more reprehensible than Tom himself."

Dumbledore looked up at Ginny again, blue eyes seeming to beg forgiveness.

"I realise now, with what you have told me, why you and he are so keen to meet. But I cannot, in good conscious, trust him not to hurt you or any other member of the Order at this time. I hope you can understand an old man's decision."

Ginny sat silently, her anger ebbing away, overwhelmed by everything Dumbledore had just said. The image of the greatest wizard of the age becoming overwhelmed and stressed was not a pleasant one. She just nodded quietly, not knowing what to say.

Dumbledore sighed once more, then pushed himself to his feet.

"I must take my leave of you now. I have more work to be done in setting up some wards on a new safe house. I do hope that you will be able to see Mr Potter soon. Until then however, I hope you remain well and I hope to be able to finish our conversation about this bond at a later time."

With that, he thanked Molly again for the tea before walking outside and apparating away.

Ginny continued to sit still at the table, sipping absentmindedly on a cup of tea her mum had pushed into her hands. She still wasn't satisfied with what Dumbledore had said. From what he said, Lily Potter had been allowed to visit Harry, but she, Ginny, could not? There seemed to be some hidden motive there that she couldn't understand. Why would Dumbledore not wish her specifically to meet Harry?

She was soon pulled out of her thoughts as Molly sat down opposite her and reached across the table to hold her daughter's hands.

"Ginny, dear?" Molly said quietly. "Why did you never tell us about the bond to Harry? We might have been able to help you more. Maybe we could have removed what remained of it to give you some peace."

"Don't you see though, mum? That is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Yes, it hurts. And yes, I hate feeling like half of me is just missing in some endless void, but it's the only thing I have left of Harry. It would be like I was trying to kill him from my own mind by removing it. And when I hate it most, well, maybe I needed a reminder to not be so weak ever again." She said, muttering the last bit more quietly, but her mother still heard her.

Molly leaped up, tears in her eyes, and moved around the table to engulf Ginny in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, my baby girl. I feel like I've failed you for letting you get so hurt and not even realising how bad it was," she sobbed into Ginny's shoulder.

"Mum, it's fine, I did my best to hide it. I didn't want anyone to take it away. And now Harry is back, and Ill be able to be with him again, and it'll be fine. Everything will be as it should've been." Ginny said, smiling through a few tears of her own. She didn't want to think about the possibility that she and Harry wouldn't be together again. Or that one of them might die in the war. If Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived, that put him right in Voldemort's line of fire, ahead of even Dumbledore. The prospect of losing Harry again, having gone so long without him now, was not one Ginny even wished to acknowledge. If Harry died, she had resolved, she would die right alongside him.

Ginny pushed away from her mum, and quietly made an excuse about having a nap, before retreating again to her room. Once barricaded safely inside, she finally allowed herself to break down in tears as the flood of feelings she had been holding back since Dumbledore brought up the Chamber rushed back. She wept as she remembered the awe-inspiring feeling of sharing her mind, magic and her very soul with Harry, and how, even as he died, he smiled up at her and thought seeing her alive and well was the most beautiful way to die.

Finally, the tears stopped, and Ginny lay now on her back, mentally exhausted and tired. She wearily pulled the covers out from under her, snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes. As she tried to sleep, she reached out to the thin thread that was Harry and found a faint sense of comfort being sent back along it to her. She smiled, realising Harry must have felt her emotional pain in Grimmauld Place and was trying to help her. With that thought alone providing more comfort than the warmest of her mum's hugs, she was able to drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **GONG**

Ginny woke up with a start, as the loud clanging echoed through the Burrow. It was promptly followed by a scream, and a great deal of shouting from downstairs. Leaping back out of bed, Ginny quickly grabbed her wand, thanked her luck that she had been too tired to put on sleepwear earlier, and dashed down the stairs to the living room.

Upon arriving, Ginny was met with pandemonium as her parents were both barking orders to Ron and the Twins to leave, while also trying to talk to several members of the Order as they walked out of the fireplace.

"What's going on?" Ginny demanded loudly to be heard over the ongoing ringing outside.

Her dad whipped around to see her standing there, wand out by her side, looking angry and determined.

"The Ministry must've known Dumbledore was here," he said. "The wards were just hit, the Burrow is under attack!"

* * *

 _A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than it could otherwise be and I may come back and add more to it once the rest of the story is finished. I'm not sure. Also, sorry for ending on a cliff-hanger. When next chapter comes up, you'll see why I wanted to end this chapter here._

 _I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, to be honest, but I did feel that something was needed before the next chapter, to maintain the pace of the story and also to try explain a bit of Dumbledore's motives. He is not an evil character, that was never my intent._


	6. Finally

_"What's going on?" Ginny demanded loudly._

 _Her dad whipped around to see her standing there, wand out by her side, looking angry and determined._

 _"The Ministry must've known Dumbledore was here," he said. "The wards were just hit, the Burrow is under attack!"_

"Quick, Ginny, into the floo!" Molly said, beckoning her over with the floo pot in her hand.

Meanwhile, Arthur, along with some members of the Order, including James Potter, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and several others Ginny didn't recognise, moved out into the front yard to start supporting the flagging wards.

Ginny stuffed her wand back into her pockets, quickly took a pinch of floo power from her mum and leapt into the fireplace. She looked quizzically at Molly until she was told 'Headquarters, dear' and shouted out, "12 Grimmauld Place!"

As Ginny stumbled out of the fireplace in Grimmauld Place, she immediately felt the sensation that Harry was much closer. Ignoring her brothers and Molly, who flooed through behind her, Ginny moved quickly around them all and ducked up the stairway before anyone could stop her.

Behind her, she heard her mother calling out to her in alarm, telling her to stop. Ginny quickened her pace and practically ran up to the third floor. She paused briefly to check which direction the pull was coming from and then dashed down the corridor to her right before stopping at a closed door at the end of the hall.

Glancing back along the corridor, Ginny saw several members of the Order rushing towards her, led by her mother. Without thinking, she waved her hand irritably towards them, erecting a large shield that stretched from floor to ceiling, sealing her end of the corridor. She didn't think about the fact she had just given away her hidden talent of powerful wandless magic, she was already looking back at the door in front of her.

Completely ignoring what several people were now shouting, Ginny took a deep breath, pushed open the door, shattering what wards lay around it in the process, and found herself looking directly at Harry Potter.

* * *

Harry was lying on the bed in his room, idly listening to the commotion going on downstairs when he suddenly sat bolt upright. He could feel Ginny was close, much closer than she had been since he had arrived in this new world. Harry felt her moving rapidly closer to him, up the stairs and along the hallway. He jumped up off the bed and moved towards the door in the hope of seeing her, at least glimpsing that she looked happy and healthy here in this dimension.

Before he could reach the door, however, it slammed open and he found himself staring right into the eyes of Ginny Weasley.

Neither Harry nor Ginny moved for what felt like eternity, both trying to decide if the other was really there. They could feel the other and, standing this close, could even feel fragments of the others' emotions; shock, mixed with confusion, mixed with elation.

"Ginny?" Harry whispered.

"Harry? H-how…?" Ginny stuttered, "You-you died!"

Harry had to fight not to immediately close the distance between them, to take her in his arms and reassure her that everything would be fine. Instead he stood back, and beckoned her into the room indicating one end of the bed for her while he sat cross-legged at the other end. Ginny moved into the room and sat heavily on the bed, never taking her eyes off Harry.

For a few moments, they both resumed just staring at one another, wordlessly. Finally, feeling that something should be said, Harry tried to clear the lump from his throat to talk.

"I, umm…I've missed you," he said.

"I've missed you too," Ginny whispered.

"I mean, I know you're not really my Ginny, and I guess I'm not really your Harry, but you look just the same, and the bond seems to still be there. But if you don't want to know me, then that fine, I can just –"

"Harry!" Ginny interrupted suddenly.

"Umm, sorry," he said sheepishly, a small smile flitting across his face.

Ginny didn't smile back, she just kept on taking is his appearance.

"You died seven years ago, in this world," she said quietly. "Fawkes tried to save you, but it wasn't enough."

"I know," Harry responded quickly. "Dumbledore told me."

Ginny looked away briefly, and took a shaky breath, "Will you tell me what happened to me in…in your world?"

Harry sighed, and dropped his eyes to the bedding between them.

"We got overconfident," he said quietly. "Ginny, she…we were fighting Voldemort. The war was all but over, and the last fight was down to him and Malfoy against us. We'd just killed Malfoy, and Voldemort was firing off all kinds of low-level spells. We just assumed he was too weakened to fire off a killing curse so we both stopped dodging and starting blocking everything. The bond made us both magically very powerful, so we could just block anything short of the killing curse itself. Suddenly Voldemort fired just one killing curse. Doesn't matter how strong your shield is, there is nothing that can stop that. He remained sadistic to the end though, and didn't aim it at me like we both thought he would. And you…Ginny died. I didn't even have time to say goodbye."

Harry broke off as he fought back tears. Ginny wondered if he found it easier, referring to her as somehow separate from the Ginny he had known. After a few moments, he continued.

"Well, that was basically the end of it. The shock of losing Ginny caused me to release some kind of magical explosion, and Voldemort was left incapacitated. Then I…I kind of just lost it and killed him. There wasn't really anything left after that."

Ginny just sat quietly throughout Harry's tale, tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

"You had a soul-bond in your world too, then?" she asked quietly.

Harry looked up, "Yeah, formed in about sixth year. Well, turns out it formed back when we were born but it didn't really activate until sixth year when we started dating. We hadn't been that close before hand, except that time in the Chamber."

Ginny nodded to herself, "We were a lot closer in this world. When the Potter's started to come over and visit, I would've been about two years old, you were three. And we became quite good friends. Nothing more than that really, until the Chamber. I'd managed to embarrass myself a bit earlier that week by letting you find out that I had a crush on you, my best friend, and so I ran away to hide rather than hear your rejection. When you saved me in the Chamber, even as you were still dying, you told me that it was mutual and that you had looked forward to asking me to Hogsmeade or something when we were older. Then you just told me I was beautiful and…and you died."

Now it was Ginny's turn to break off with a choked sob.

"Ginny?" Harry started quietly.

Wiping the tears away, Ginny looked back up at Harry through red-rimmed eyes.

"Do you, I mean, do you want to reform the bond? We both seem to be feeling it, I imagine it would just take physical contact to repair it," Harry asked, cautiously.

Ginny's eyes widened as she thought about it.

"Are you staying?" she asked. "Because I'm not sure I could bear it if I lost the bond a second time. Even just sitting this close to you, I can feel you clearly again for the first time in years and I'm going to struggle to just walk away from that."

"Listen to me, Ginny. If you want me here, I won't leave, I promise. There is nothing left for me in my world. Everyone died, Ginny. Everyone, except me and a few random strangers I'd never met. I don't ever want to go back. And…I'd like to be bonded to you. I mean, I know I'm not really your Harry, and I'm probably not the same. I've lived through one war already, I'm not quite as…warm as I was when I was twelve."

Ginny looked at him, thinking it over. Up until now, she had been so sure she wanted to bond back. But, as he said, this wasn't her Harry. Not really. But yet…

"I think you could become my Harry," she said. "Even if you're different, I'd rather be bonded to you than feeling alone any longer."

Harry solemnly nodded and held out both hands, palm-up in between them. Reaching out, Ginny placed her own hands, palm-down above Harry's, and looked briefly back into his eyes. They gave each other a warm smile, took a deep breath, and let their hands fall together.

* * *

Out in the corridor, Bill Weasley stepped back from a large shield he had been trying to overcome as it flared a brilliant white before suddenly shattering into nothing.

Many miles away, on the outskirts of the small town of Ottery St Catchpole, an old wizard with a long silver beard and vibrant purple robes looked around in surprise at the faint magical ripple that passed through him. It didn't feel malignant, so he put it aside as a puzzle to solve later and turned his attention back to binding the few Death Eaters that were still present.

Halfway across the country again, in a large room, lit only by the ornate fireplace, a pale man, whose skin stood out in stark contrast to his black robes, stood suddenly out of his large chair. He turned slowly on the spot, trying to identify what may have caused such a ripple of magic. He furrowed his brow, uncertain, red eyes glinting dangerously.

Meanwhile, back in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, Molly Weasley burst into a small bedroom with her son Bill and Lily Potter close on her heals to find her only daughter unconscious on the bed, holding and being held in a tight embrace by the spitting image of a young James Potter.

Molly gasped and tried to move forward to drag the two unconscious teens apart, only to find herself held back on each side by Bill and Lily.

"Mum, you can't pull them apart now," Bill said gently.

"He's right, I'm sorry, Molly," said Lily. "They're bonding now. We just have to wait for it to finish. I doubt you could separate them if you tried."

Molly looked on in despair, tears starting to leak down her face.

"But - but, Albus said he was dangerous! I can't leave her here with him. He might hurt her!"

Lily's eyes flashed dangerously.

"That happens to be my son, you're talking about!" she growled. "Yes, he might be from another world, but he is still Harry. From what I can tell, he is still my sweet little boy, just older. And Harry would never hurt Ginny."

Molly rounded on Lily only to have Bill step in to try and calm her down, "Mum, I doubt he could hurt her if he tried. It would only hurt him as well now. They will be bonded. And maybe Ginny will finally be happy again, for a change. Let's just wait until they wake up, okay mum?"

Molly narrowed her eyes, her anger finally overtaking her fear for her daughter.

"Fine!" she snapped. "Fine! We'll just leave her here with some unknown boy and hope that he is safe because he looks like someone we know. I guess it doesn't matter, it's not as if we can just take her back to the Burrow now, is it?"

With that, she stormed past Bill and Lily and marched down the stairs in the direction of the kitchen. As Lily turned her gaze back to look at her son, she could hear the tell-tale sounds of pans being banged around in the kitchen, a sure sign of Molly Weasley's temper. Lily paid it no mind however, as she took her wand out and carefully levitated Harry and Ginny into a more comfortable position, laying outright on the bed next to each other, still in a close embrace.

With a gentle smile on her face, Lily turned and nodded at Bill, ushering him out of the room, which she closed carefully behind her. She then made her way downstairs to find James and Sirius, to learn the outcome of the fight at the Burrow.

* * *

Back inside the room, Harry and Ginny were far from asleep, although they appeared unconscious. After first touching, they had found themselves drifting in their minds as memories flickered around them, flaring and fading only to be replaced immediately by another. Both examined each other's past. Harry watched as Ginny held his younger self while Basilisk venom dragged his life away, as Ginny watched herself be struck down suddenly by a familiar green light.

Harry especially latched onto the memories of his parents and his younger life. He found he had been happy in this world. Much happier than in his old world. He had never been starved, or locked in a cupboard for giving trouble. Lily preferred to give him some chores, but even then, never as many as he received at the Dursley's. Harry watched, allowing himself to fill up with the feelings of warmth and happiness when he realised that he could feel all of Ginny's feeling again. And she was anything but happy.

Ginny was watching different memories. She watched Harry's neglect at the Dursley's with sorrow, and his years at school with a mix of pride and sadness. She felt mortified by her counterpart's behaviour around Harry when she first met, treating him as some kind of hero for something that had only taken his parents away from him. She scoffed, watching herself blush and run from the room as Harry walked into it. She had never acted like that around Neville, when he was the Boy-Who-Lived. As Harry's life continued Ginny watched herself start to feature more until the bond finally became apparent. She smiled wistfully at the memories of the two of them, both so happy, sharing the bond for almost three years and she cried as she felt the devastation when Harry had realised she was gone.

Just as Ginny was starting to wonder how she could ever hope to replace this other Ginny, she suddenly felt a new rush of memories.

Harry and Ginny both cried out in their minds as memories neither of them had seen flooded into their minds. The landscape around them solidified and they found themselves in a grassy field, reminiscent of the land around the Burrow.

Ginny looked over at Harry, eyes wide, looking into his equally shocked expression.

 _Harry…I remember. I remember the whole war. Killing Malfoy. Fighting Voldemort. I was there! You brought me back somehow! But, I'm still the Ginny from this world too. How can I remember having lived two lives?_ Ginny though to Harry.

With their minds finally linked once more, words had become simply unnecessary.

 _It isn't just you, Ginny,_ Harry replied. _I can remember this life too. Growing up in Godrics Hollow. Being your best friend. Being bitten in the shoulder, instead of the elbow by the basilisk._

 _Did the bond do this?_ Ginny asked, her thoughts tinged with awe. _Did it bring back our alternate selves?_

 _It must of,_ thought Harry.

There was a pause as they looked at each other briefly. Then, at the same time, they suddenly lunged towards each other and met in a tight embrace, as if they were each trying to merge their own bodies.

 _I've missed you!_

It wasn't clear who thought it first, as the words simply bounced back and forth between them, carrying comfort and love along with them.

Harry leaned back slightly, before tilting his head to the side and bringing his lips to Ginny's in a passionate kiss. Ginny eagerly responded, the happiness rushing through the bond.

As they broke apart, they looked into each other's eyes, warm brown, meeting emerald green, as the grinned foolishly at finally being together once more. As they leaned in again to share more kisses, they both revelled in the feeling of the completed bond. No longer was there a void where half their mind should be. That space had been perfectly filled by one another.

As the two teens knelt in the grassy field of their shared minds, their magic danced around them, burning brightly, as coloured streamers wove through the sky.

The bond hummed as finally, at long last, it was completed again.

* * *

A/N: Here it is, at last, the meeting scene. I hope it lived up to expectations. I really enjoyed writing this scene, and hope it came out as well as I had planned. This was one of the first scenes I started working on, and was, in part, a large inspiration for the whole story, so I wanted to get it right.

I'm really enjoying writing this story for you all, and I'm very thankful for the lovely reviews I've got so far.


	7. Meet the Parents

Three days had passed since Ginny had first barged her way into Harry's room in Grimmauld Place and the two teens had fallen unconscious. Lily, Molly, Arthur and a few of Ginny's brothers had all taken turns sitting in the room, watching for any indication of them waking, but so far there had been no movement. Apart from their continued lack of consciousness, the only other inexplicable thing was noticed when the lights had been dimmed the first evening. Despite all the candles having been extinguished, the bedroom had remained illuminated with a comforting golden light that seemed to have no specific origin.

Just before dinner was ready on the third day, Arthur was sitting in the room reading a book when he heard a slight rustle of movement from the bed.

Ginny woke up suddenly, having not been properly asleep. She and Harry had finally finished filling each other in on the major differences in their lives, and just enjoying the feeling of the bond. Ginny looked up to see Harry's green eyes looking back down at her. Without thinking, she leaned forward and softly kissed him, enjoying the sensation of doing so.

Just as Harry was responding, still not fully conscious yet, there was the sound of somebody uncomfortably clearing their throat, and Ginny sprang into a sitting position, turning to find who was there. She blushed bright red to see her dad sitting on the chair besides the bed, looking equal parts embarrassed and unsettled. Harry sat up more slowly, also now looking at Arthur as he wrapped one arm around Ginny's waist.

"Good morning, sir," Harry said, as if he hadn't just been caught waking up and snogging the man's only daughter.

"Umm, yes, good morning, umm, Harry," Arthur replied, still looking uncomfortable as he stood and sidled towards the door. "I'll just go tell them you're both awake at last. Perhaps you'd like to come down for breakfast in the kitchen?"

Without waiting for a response, Arthur fled the room, leaving the door open behind him. Ginny looked back at Harry, feeling his nervousness. _I'm sure it'll be fine, Harry. He just wasn't expecting to see me kiss you. They are all so used to thinking of me as fragile in this world, remember?_

Harry smiled as he heard Ginny's voice in his head. _I know, Ginny. I just wasn't exactly expecting my first meeting with your dad to be while we were snogging in front of him._

Ginny giggled slightly, before standing up off the bed, still smiling. _Come on, my brave hero. Time to meet my parents. Again._

 _Ha ha_ , Harry responded sarcastically as he stood up and stretched. _Ergh, I feel like I've been laying down for ages. How long were we out for?_

Ginny winced as she noticed how stiff her muscles were. _I don't know, hopefully not too long._

Without conscious thought, Ginny slipped her wand into her left pocket, and took Harry's left hand in her right. She had become very proficient at duelling and even eating left-handed in Harry's old world, she remembered, as they both drew comfort and power from contact with one another. Harry also unclipped the hidden wand holster from his left arm, and moved it to his right where his Holly and Phoenix feather wand would normally be.

 _I wonder where my proper wand is_ , he mused.

 _We'll ask for it back later,_ Ginny replied. _It isn't as if you need it anyway._

 _Does it bother you though, Ginny? The way you're acting now? I'm used to doing all of this, making sure I'm ready for a fight, but you're not. At least, not the you from this world._

Ginny gave Harry a stern look. _Harry, what about the you from this world? He is in there now too, and I'm sure that part of you is fine with being ready too. I'm still Ginny, there isn't two of me. And besides, I told you I've been practising, even in this world._

 _Yeah, to avenge me, you said_ , Harry thought, smirking slightly. _My fearsome warrior._

 _Need I remind you how good I am at hexing, Mr Potter?_

 _Hmm, actually, we probably should practise a bit. Make sure we're both not too rusty._

 _Later. Let's just survive my mother first._

Gripping one another's hands tightly, Harry and Ginny made their way out of the room that had been Harry's cell for the last few days, and headed down the stairs into the kitchen. Stopping outside, they listened in carefully, attempting to gauge the mood in the room. Ginny winced as she heard her mother preparing breakfast rather noisily, banging many of the pans louder than required.

"Molly, I just think you should give them a chance. They're obviously very, erm, close now and they will want to be together," Arthur was heard saying in a reasonable voice.

"I don't see why she had to go running to him like that, against everything Albus said. And now she's been unconscious for three days, Arthur! Who knows what has happened to her in that time!"

 _Three days?_ Ginny thought, surprised. _I thought it was barely an hour!_

 _I guess the bond took longer with the transfer of memories this time._ Harry suggested.

"Did they seem well, Arthur?" another voice asked, prompting Harry and Ginny to listen in again.

 _Sounds like mum,_ Harry commented. He smiled wistfully to himself at the thought of having a mother again. In a way, he remembered twelve years with him mum and dad, but he also remembered never knowing the sound of their voices. He vowed quietly to himself never take his parents for granted again. Ginny reached up and squeezed Harry's shoulder in a silent show of support.

"They seemed in good health, I think, yes," said Arthur, sounding distinctly uncomfortable now.

"Arthur?" Molly said, a warning note in her voice.

Unanimously, Harry and Ginny decided that was a good time to interrupt and, pushing open the door, they walked into the kitchen. Lily and Arthur were both sitting at the table, Lily closest to the door, while Arthur was seated around nearest the sink where Molly stood, hands firmly on her hips. Harry's breath caught as he saw the remaining two men sitting at the table opposite the door; James Potter and Sirius Black.

Ginny tightened her grip on Harry's hand and pulled him gently over to stand by the table. She cleared her throat, suddenly realising that, to half of her mind, all of these people were dead. She had to resist the sudden urge to sprint around the table and collect both her parents in a tight hug.

"Good morning, Mum," she said, feigning a confidence she didn't feel she had at the look on Molly face. "Do you have any spare breakfast?"

Sirius snorted, trying to fight back a laugh. He soon recovered though at the poisonous look James shot at him.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Molly exclaimed. "What were you thinking? You could have been hurt! You could have been killed! And to run off and get yourself bound to a man you don't know! And he isn't even from this world! Just you explain why I shouldn't ground you right now, young lady!"

Ginny straightened, her eyes suddenly cold, "Mother, you do not have the right to control my life. I am eighteen now, and I can make my own choices! And how dare you suggest Harry would ever hurt me! He would sooner curse his own eyes out!"

Molly looked taken aback by the argument, as Ginny was normally so passive and quiet. She collected herself quickly though, swelling up in anger, face beginning to turn red.

"How dare you talk to me like that, young lady! Now, you'll come back with me to a new safe house and you can forget all this nonsense! You don't - "

"Molly!" Arthur cut in sharply. It was rare enough to see Arthur raise his voice that it momentarily shocked Molly back into silence. "This argument is pointless! Let them speak for themselves, and we shall see what can be done from here."

"With respect, Mrs Weasley, Ginny and I are bonded now. We won't be apart, not again," Harry said firmly.

Molly spluttered briefly at him before narrowing her eyes.

"Who are you to just walk in here and take my only daughter from me?" she snapped.

Harry smiled sadly even as he put a restraining hand on Ginny's arm, "Mrs Weasley, you've known me since I was about four years old, since mum and dad took me around to meet Ron. You used to bake chocolate cookies for me until you realised that treacle tart was my favourite. And Ginny and I used to always team up against Fred and George. I'm not really that Harry, but in a way, I am. I just have many additional memories from my old world too."

"You've got both sets of memories?" Lily asked in a hushed voice, eyes wide.

"Yeah, we both do," Harry replied, nudging Ginny slightly. "It'll take a while to get used to them all, but they're there. The bond seemed to restore our alternate selves as well."

"Prove it," said another voice. Harry looked up into the stormy eyes of Sirius Black, who had rounded the table to stand in front of Harry, eyes folded across his chest.

"Prove to me you are Harry Potter, and not just some trick of the Dark Tosser's"

Harry grinned widely, and besides him, Ginny smirked as she saw what he was thinking.

"Well, Padfoot, would it convince you to tell you about what you did for my eleventh birthday? Did mum ever find out about you taking me out on your flying bike? Or perhaps it would be better to tell you about that book you gave me before my second year. You know the one? The one I wasn't supposed to mention, because you didn't want to get into trouble for teaching me to become an - mmf!"

"Right! Good! You've convinced me, no need to say any more!" Sirius said loudly, still holding a hand clamped over Harry mouth. Then he frowned at Harry, who seemed to be enjoying himself far too much. "Say, did you ever get far? I bet on before fifth year, you know?"

"Sadly not," Harry said with a grimace. "I figured out my, umm, preference, but never did manage to practise. And it never came up in my other world. I don't even know if I'd have the same...choice now."

"Sirius," Lily said, warningly. "We will be talking about this later. I told you never to give Harry the animagus notes you took. And stop trying to look innocent, I'm not stupid."

Just as Sirius went to respond, he stopped, and looked instead at James Potter, who had not yet moved from his seat at the table. His eyes hadn't left Harry's face, and he wore a slight frown, as if trying to solve some kind of puzzle.

The tension in the room thickened as the attention turned towards James and Harry.

"James?" Lily said gently.

James showed no reaction, except to sit back in his chair, eyes still not moving from Harry.

 _Say something to him_ , Ginny prompted.

"Dad?" Harry whispered carefully.

 _Most of me doesn't remember knowing him, Gin. I'm still getting used to the memories of growing up with him. What if he thinks I'm just an imposter or –_

 _Harry! He's your father! He will still love you just as much. It just may take him some time to trust that you are who you say you are._

James' eyes started to flick back and forth between Harry and Ginny as they silently communicated.

He cleared his throat, "The Ginny Weasley I remember was a rather timid girl who seemed virtually broken with grief. You don't look like that Ginny to me. So how do I know you're not both spies?"

Ginny blinked, nonplussed, "The me from this world was depressed. Depressed at not having Harry. Nobody saw it somehow, but we formed a soul-bond right before he died. I've been living with half of me missing for years, but now he is back. And Ginny from his world is back too, and I was stronger there. In Harry's world, I never lost Harry. I stood beside him to fight in the war, and I was never considered to be fragile!"

"Downright scary when you lost your temper, maybe," Harry muttered, earning a sharp jab in the ribs.

"Even in this world, I was practicing to be good at magic. Seems I got quite the power boost from bonding with Harry, and I learnt how to use it. So, no, I'm not just the Ginny you remember. I've also got a whole second lifetime worth of memories in here now. And I never wanted to be weak, in either of those lives."

"That explains the wandless magic, I guess," Arthur said. "How long were you practising, sweetheart?"

"Since Tom returned at the end of my third year," Ginny said.

Looking around, Ginny turned her attention back to James, "So you see, I'm still Ginny. And this is still Harry, just with some extra memories."

James looked over at Lily, who appeared to be pleading with him with her eyes. He sighed.

"I may need time to get used to the idea," he muttered quietly. "I buried my son seven years ago. That kind of experience doesn't just fade away over night."

Harry just nodded mutely. There was an uncomfortable pause before another memory flashed across Harry's mind. He jerked his head up, and looked back at Lily.

"Rose!" he exclaimed.

Lily looked at him confused, "What about her?"

Harry beamed, "I didn't have a sister in my world! Now I'm an older brother in this one! How is she? Where is she?"

James frowned down at the table in front of him, hands clenched.

"I'm not sure - " he began.

"She's very well," Lily interrupted. "She's been staying over with Luna a lot lately, while I've been over here."

 _Ginny, this is brilliant!_ Harry crowed. _I'm a brother! I have a whole family here! And I can remember them, and growing up in this world._

 _I know, Harry_ , Ginny send with a warm smile. _You won't ever need the Mirror of Erised in this world._

Feeling the continued emotional turmoil he was experiencing, Ginny turned and took Harry into a tight hug. He buried his nose in her hair, and breathed deeply, pulling himself back under control. As he straightened back up, the floo flared in the living room. They both looked over at the door and, after a moment, in strode Dumbledore, dressed today in dark grey robes with only a few faint stars adorning the lower hem.

Dumbledore stopped in the doorway, upon seeing Harry and Ginny, still in a close embrace, looking back at him. Suddenly aware of their proximity, Harry and Ginny pulled back from one another, but remained holding hands.

Dumbledore looked at them cautiously, before moving into the room, one hand remaining close to the sleeve of his other arm, where his wand was undoubtedly stored.

"Mr Potter, Miss Weasley," he said by way of greeting. "I see you are both awake at last."

Neither of them moved, but just watched to see what Dumbledore would do next.

The headmaster sighed, "I see you are both not the most happy with me just now. I trust you've heard my explanation via Miss Weasley now, Mr Potter?"

"Yes, thank you, Professor," Harry said stiffly. "And I guess I see your point, but I'm not overly happy about it. You summoned me, and then tried to hold me captive without letting me see my soul mate and all the while demanding I solve your Dark Lord problem."

"Ah, this much is true. However, I don't believe you mentioned being soul bonded, or I might have made a different decision," Dumbledore said mildly. "Perhaps now you are together, and awake, we can have a chat."

"What about, Professor?" Ginny asked, trying to draw the attention off of Harry.

"There are various topics I might want to discuss, your remarkable bond amongst them. But now is not the time, I feel. We recently survived another attack, this time on your own home, Miss Weasley. I have reason to believe that Tom is preparing to attack Hogwarts. Without the castle, we lose one of our most defensible locations. We need to be ready to defeat him, should he come to us," Dumbledore said.

"The Burrow!" Ginny said suddenly. "What happened, was everyone okay?"

"Relax, Miss Weasley, everyone was just fine, only some minor injuries. I arrived just as the wards started to fall and we fought them off. Tom himself was not there, just a few Death Eaters. I suspect they have placed a Taboo on his name, which I unwisely spoke at the Burrow allowing them find it. We should be safe here, being under the Fidelius."

Harry rubbed him thumb over Ginny's knuckles, feeling her calm down at hearing nobody was badly hurt. He looked back over at Dumbledore, thinking about what to say.

"What have you learnt so far about taking him down, sir?" Harry asked, wondering how much he would need to explain.

Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully, "You know how he survived on Halloween, don't you?"

"You haven't found out, in this world, sir? I only know from your counterpart's research before his death," Harry countered.

"Indeed?" Dumbledore said. "How did I find out in your world then? There is very little to work with here, except that somehow Alice Longbottom used some ancient protection to save her son. Sadly, it didn't save him a second time."

Harry looked over at Ginny, searching through her memories after he had died in this world.

 _What happened to the diary?_ he asked.

 _I'm not sure. I don't remember that clearly. After you...died...I was very upset and angry, so I think I blasted it to pieces. I didn't realise I would be prolonging the war just by removing any magical trace on it._

 _Hey, it isn't your fault. I did much the same after I lost you too._

To the remaining observers in the kitchen, Harry had looked over at Ginny, who suddenly looked rather upset before being taken into a hug by Harry once more.

Turning back to face Dumbledore, still holding Ginny, Harry tried to explain what he could.

"Did you ever find any pieces of the diary of Tom Riddle after you got Ginny out of the Chamber of Secret?" he asked.

Dumbledore frowned, "I found enough pieces to ascertain it was heavily tainted with some form of Dark magic, and that it was responsible, but nothing more than that."

"It was a Horcrux," Harry said flatly.

Ginny turned in Harry's arms, and leant against his chest, just in time to watch Dumbledore's face drain of colour, his eyes wide.

"A Horcrux?" the old man whispered. "Are you sure?"

"One of them, yes," Ginny said. "He had seven, though one was an accident."

"Seven!" Dumbledore leapt to his feet and started pacing agitatedly along the length of the table. "This is far worse than I imagined."

"Does anyone want to explain to the rest of us what the bloody hell a Horcrux is?" Sirius demanded.

Seeing Dumbledore was still lost in thought, Harry started to explain, only to be interrupted by Lily.

"I've heard of them, when I was still working at the Department of Mysteries," Lily said quietly. "They're Dark magic, where a wizard places a piece of his soul into an object, thereby anchoring themselves to life even if their body is destroyed."

Lily looked up at Harry with dread, "He made them? But...how do we destroy them?"

Harry, having already checked for it in Ginny's memories, smiled, "The sword of Gryffindor which is still, if I'm not mistaken, hanging in the headmaster's office."

"He will have hidden them," Dumbledore said, rejoining the conversation. "Finding them won't be easy."

"Well, assuming this world is much the same as mine, we know where most of them should be right now," Ginny said.

"We?" Molly said abruptly. "You're not going to be a part of this Ginny, it isn't safe!"

Ginny just rolled her eyes, "I will do as much as Harry will do. If that means facing Tom himself, then so be it!"

"Perhaps I might borrow you and your bondmate sometime, Miss Weasley to discuss what you know about these Horcruxes, before we make a plan to destroy them," Dumbledore said loudly to forestall any argument. "Either way, you and Mr Potter have been unconscious for a few days and are well due some recovery time. And, indeed some breakfast which I appear to have interrupted. I must go and think on this for a time and examine what I can of the Diary a bit more. We have a few weeks, I hope, before Tom makes any kind of move. I will call on you again tomorrow."

He walked back around the table and headed towards the fireplace. After his departure, the room fell into an awkward silence as James continued to look uncomfortable, while Lily kept shooting him worried looks. Molly went back to arranging breakfast noisily, while Harry and Ginny finally sat down at the end of the table closest to the door and next to Lily. After a few moments additional silence, James pushed back his chair, mumbled some excuse, and left the room. Looking slightly worried, Sirius quickly followed him, flashing a brief grin at the two teens.

Ginny glanced over at Harry as they started to eat breakfast.

 _I guess you've been deemed trustworthy now then._

 _Or Dumbledore has forgotten about me while he researches the Horcruxes._

 _Mmm. Or that. Have you decided to fight another war then?_

Harry sighed. _I don't know. What do you think? You'll be fighting a second war too, in a way._

 _My whole family is alive in this world. I want to get it right this time._

 _And I have a family here_ , Harry said, his 'voice' tinged with awe.

Ginny smiled softly at him. _Does that answer your question then?_

 _Harry just smiled back. I think so._

* * *

A/N: Firstly, sorry this took so much longer than previous chapters. I am trying my best to stick to at least one chapter a week, if possible.

Secondly, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble to write. There were a lot of reactions to write, and we still haven't met any of Ginny's family yet, or indeed anyone who wasn't around the table. They will come in time. I'm still not sure if I like the result or if it is a bit of a dull chapter. I also think it doesn't show off the soul bond much, but I don't really know. Let me know what you think. Next chapter will probably be more meetings of people, though I aim to get some action happening, of some kind.

I also really dislike chapters that are just purely about getting across some information. So, yes, the detailed talk about what the Horcruxes are will probably be "off-screen" so to say. I want the main chapters to be about the plot, not the picky details. Especially because, if you're reading hp fanfiction, I assume you know what the Horcruxes are and where they are, so I don't need a long boring chapter rehashing known ground.

I've seen a few reviews point out some grammatical errors, and I'm glad to be made aware of them. I have no beta, so some errors are unfortunately to be expected, though I do my best to proof read every chapter before I post it.

I hope you are all still enjoying the story and thank you all again for the lovely reviews.


	8. Readjusting

After an awkward breakfast in which very little was said, Harry and Ginny could both be found sitting in absolute silence in the living room of Grimmauld Place. To an outside observer, they appeared content to just enjoy one another's company, as Harry idly played with Ginny's fingers in his hands. In the privacy of their own minds however, they were both deep in conversation.

 _We're going to have to fight again._

 _I know._

 _I don't know if I can do it again. I lost you last time._

 _You won't lose me again, Harry! We'll be smarter this time, we'll be more cautious. And this time we have help. The Order still exists in this world._

 _I know, I just…I'm scared, Ginny. Not so much of the fight, we've done that before, but this world. At least in the last one, I knew everybody. Now, any memories I have are either from you or are seven years out of date. You saw how Dad was. What if this world is just as lonely as the last?_

Ginny moved forward, threading her arms around Harry.

 _We'll never have to be lonely again, Harry. We've got a chance to finally be happy here, just you wait._

Harry smiled softly down at the top of Ginny's head where it rested on his chest.

"I don't know what I did to be bonded to you, but I'm so glad I am," he whispered aloud.

Ginny tilted her head to look up at him, a beautiful smile blossoming across her face as the bond practically hummed with warmth between them.

"I'm glad too," she whispered back.

"We should talk to your parents, make sure they know what the bond means."

The smile slipped off Ginny's face, to be replaced with a frown.

"I hope mum doesn't cause too much trouble," she said. _Remember how she was in the last world?_

 _Mmm, and she loved me there. Here she seems to think I'm going to hurt you somehow._

They both fell silent for a time as they considered ways to break the situation to Mrs Weasley more comfortably. As it happened, Harry and Ginny weren't given much time to think before footsteps were heard coming closer, and the door swung open to admit Molly, Arthur and, following them, looking quite put out about something, Lily.

Molly paused briefly upon seeing Ginny looking back at her from her position in Harry's arms, before she huffed and sat down in the armchair closest to the fireplace. Arthur flashed them both a small smile as he sat in the opposite chair, leaving Lily to sit on the unoccupied couch.

Lily looked over at Harry, "As you've probably noticed, Harry, Dumbledore has decided to trust you not to betray us or attack us. I don't know what took him so long, I could have told him that from the start!"

"Thanks, Mum," Harry said quietly. "I wish he'd let me see Ginny sooner, but I'm glad he's come around now."

There was a snort from the armchair as Harry spoke, and Ginny looked around at her mother.

"Mum?" Ginny said with an edge in her tone. "If you have something to say, why not just say it?"

"Ginny," Arthur said warningly. "We don't need to have this conversation now."

"Why not, Arthur?" Molly snapped. "Why shouldn't we talk about how she directly disobeyed me, disobeyed Albus himself. Why don't we talk about how she is sitting there wrapped around a boy she just met! It isn't right, Arthur! Oh, yes, they may all say he is Harry, but I'm with James on this one! Harry Potter died seven years ago. People don't just come back to life, even from another world!"

"You were more than happy to try and summon Neville after he died, though, weren't you?" Ginny snapped back, sitting up sharply as her face began to go red with anger. "But for some reason you won't accept my Harry!"

"YOUR HARRY?" Molly shouted. "You're only eighteen, Ginny, and you've just met him!"

"He is my soulmate, mother! We're soul bonded! Do you have any idea what that means?" Ginny fired back.

"I know that it doesn't give you the right to shout at me, young lady! And it doesn't excuse your behaviour either!" Molly spat, standing up, her hand on her hips.

"Don't you talk to her like that!" Harry suddenly shouted, leaping up. "She is my soul mate, and I've already had to watch her die once! I'll do anything to make sure that never happens again!"

"I'm not sorry, mother!" Ginny pitched in. "I'm with Harry now! And I'll be damned if you ever so much as think of trying to separate us!"

With that, Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him rapidly out of the room, ignoring Molly's insistence that they come back immediately. Ginny dragged Harry up the stairs, and into the attic space. There, she moved quickly over to a small door hidden in one corner and pulled Harry out onto a small balcony on the side of the roof. There, she finally dropped his hand and gripped the railing around the edge of the balcony so tight her knuckles were white.

 _How DARE she?_ Ginny raged. _She is seriously going to try for the 'too young' angle now? When I'm eighteen? And to call me irresponsible for finding you! What was I meant to do, live with half my mind missing for the rest of my life?_

Harry meanwhile tried desperately to calm himself down, which was no easy feat. With the anger rolling off of Ginny through the soul bond, his own emotions were being completely overrun by Ginny's, making them both angry.

 _She won't separate us, Gin,_ he promised. _If it means us against all of them, then we'll just go our own way._

A memory blinked through their minds briefly of Ginny saying the same thing to Harry in Harry's old world, when Molly was on a similar rampage. Ginny snorted as she saw the memory.

 _At least when I was fifteen she could be justified in being upset about my age,_ she grumbled.

Harry walked over and leaned on the railing next to Ginny in silence, as he continued to calm himself and, by extension, Ginny down.

 _I think we're both different in this world,_ he thought. _I would've never yelled at your mother before, I always knew you were more than capable. But now…I just don't want to see you hurt. Even more so than before._

 _I know,_ Ginny replied. _I'm much more scared for you this time around. Last time, I thought if you had me with you, we could win the war easily. Now I'm afraid. I don't know if we can do this all again._

Harry sidled over, and put an arm around Ginny's shoulders. _We can do it again. But we've both seen life without the other now. It only makes sense that we're more scared than last time. I always assumed we'd die together. And when we didn't…I don't know how I survived the few months that I did. But you, you survived for years, Ginny._

Ginny leant into Harry's embrace more, without taking her eyes off of the view over the houses in front of them. _I got angry. Tom…he betrayed me, and then killed you. I had to survive to make sure he was gone. Mum and Dad always thought he might come back, even though most people disagreed. Even Percy didn't believe them, but I did._

 _We'll make sure he is gone for good then. And, hopefully, we can keep this world in one piece compared to our last world,_ Harry replied, feeling the anger finally ebb away to be replaced with determination.

After a few more minutes, he sighed.

"We should at least try to talk to your dad. Maybe my mum too, they need to know that we're staying together from now on. And they need to get used to the idea," he said.

"I doubt my mum will take that well, especially given that we're not married." Ginny said.

Harry snorted, "We don't need to get married, we're bloody soul bonded!"

"I know, Harry, but she won't see it that way. Remember in the last world? She was angry and upset that she couldn't organise her daughter's wedding."

Harry's eyes widened, "Would that help your mother? If we asked her to help organise a bonding ceremony? We never got the chance in the last world, maybe this will be our chance."

"If that was your idea of a proposal, Harry, I might decide not to show up," Ginny said, a smile starting to flicker on the edge of her lips as she fought between amusement and the remaining anger.

Harry grinned suddenly and pulled away from Ginny. He quickly dropped to his knees in front of Ginny, still wearing a cheeky grin.

"Oh, fairest Ginevra, will you do me the very greatest honour of being my bond mate? Also, my wife?" he cried dramatically.

Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed away the last of her anger as she got into the spirit of the thing.

"Why, dearest Harry, how thrilled I am that you asked!" she said, flashing a cheeky smile right back at him.

Harry leapt back up and kissed her hard on the lips before pulling away.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it properly!" he said. "I always imagined how I might ask your parents for your hand. Guess it's time to find out."

Ginny just smiled, indulging him. _It's good to see you happy again, Harry,_ she thought.

The humour dropped from Harry's face as he looked at her seriously. _We're together again, we're complete. Yes, there might be a war, but that's all the more reason to be happy now_.

 _I seem to remember being the one who told you that last time_ , Ginny commented idly.

Harry just smiled back, _Well, you were right. And we both have our families back and alive. How often does this kind of second chance come along?_

 _Just often enough for us._

 _Come on, let's go find our parents._ Harry took Ginny's hand again and they went back inside and headed down the stairs.

* * *

Before the teens found their parents, they ran into an unexpected group in the library. Harry pushed open the door to look inside and froze. Ginny quickly felt his shock and, unable to see around him, pulled her mind into the bond and peered out through Harry's eyes to see Ron and Hermione lounging on the reading couch chatting to another girl with short dark hair worn around her shoulders. Ginny quickly shoved Harry in the back, pushing him into the room, and following him in.

"Hi guys," she said, trying to ease the tension Harry's presence had brought to the room.

The dark-haired girl stood up slowly, looking at Harry carefully.

"Hi there, big brother," she said slowly, the caution clear in her tone.

"Rose?" Harry said, eyes taking in every detail he could.

There was a pause as the siblings stared at each other.

"Umm, hello! I'm Hermione Granger. Are you really from a parallel dimension?" Hermione said, unable to hold the question in.

Harry just blinked at her, suddenly aware of Ron and Hermione in the room.

"Hermione! Ron! You're both here!" he said suddenly, as his face lit up.

"What am I, a piece of furniture?" Rose muttered sarcastically.

Ginny smiled sadly at the girl as Ron and Hermione looked surprised at Harry's reaction.

"Harry is from another dimension, it's true. But you didn't exist in that one, Rose. Ron and Hermione were our best friends. It has been a while since we last saw them," she said.

"What are you talking about, Ginny? You saw me two days ago!" said Ron.

"Harry and I both have memories from both worlds. And in that one, it has been a while," Ginny replied.

There was an awkward silence as Harry continued to study his friends and his sister. He noticed this Ron and Hermione had obviously not been in the front lines the way his had been; neither of them had any of the scars to show. He also took the time to examine how his sister had changed from his memories of her at only 10 years old. She must be about 17 by now, Harry realised. Not a full week ago, he had no family and no friends left. Now, he had parents, a sister, and all his friends were alive. The only downside was that none of them, save for Ginny, knew him now.

"So, what was the transfer process like, umm, Harry?" Hermione asked. "It must have taken a lot of power to set up that kind of interdimensional travel."

Harry smiled softly, "I see you're just the same in this world, Hermione. Well, before the war hit our world."

Hermione looked nonplussed to be told she was no different despite being in a new world.

"Umm, I don't know much to tell you anyway. It was dark, and felt a lot like an uncomfortable apparition. Then I passed out. But, anyway, how've you all been?" Harry continued awkwardly. "Last memories I have of you lot is from over seven years ago now."

Ron, Hermione and Rose glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, nothing was really the same after, umm…after our second year," Hermione said, apparently choosing to be the speaker for the others. "Ron and I mostly stuck together, and became friends with Rose and Ginny. We weren't really affected by the war at Hogwarts, seeing as Dumbledore keeps the school safe. Now we're out, Ron and I both want to join the Order, but they mostly have us doing research."

"Like research into cross-dimensional travel?" Ginny asked.

"How did you –" Hermione broke off, and blushed. "Oh, I guess you would know about that. It was a very secret project Dumbledore asked me to help research. Though we were actually aiming for Neville as the Boy-Who-Lived."

Ginny frowned, "I, for one, am very glad we got Harry instead."

"He isn't our Harry though, is he?" Rose said flatly. "My brother is still…he's not…"

She broke off, looking away and swiping slightly at her eyes before looking back in apparent anger.

"Who do you think you are, coming here, and looking just like him?" she demanded. "My brother is dead; do you have to rub it in?"

Harry flinched back slightly at the venom in his sister's voice.

"Rosie, it is me," he said quietly. "Just, me with another life of memories. I do remember you from this world still."

Rose just shook her head, looking away and saying nothing. Glancing back at Ginny, Harry straightened up, promised to see everyone later, and pulled Ginny back out of the room.

 _I'll have a talk with her later,_ Ginny promised. _She and I used to talk about a lot of things together, so she should listen to me._

 _I hope she still listens to you. She might not like me being in your head for that conversation._

 _I'll just not tell her until afterwards then._

Harry smiled down at Ginny and gave her a hug. _Why don't we go find mum?_

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Lily said. "You seem to share an overpowered magical core, you can use one another's senses, talk telepathically, and you want us to let you share a bed at night?"

"We share our minds, might be a better way of putting it, rather than just speaking telepathically. I can hear what Ginny thinks, if I try, and sometimes it is hard to tell which one of us comes up with a thought or idea."

"And sharing a bed?" Arthur asked, not to be dissuaded.

 _Knew this would cause trouble again._

"Daddy, in our last world, we found it very difficult to get any sleep away from one another. Something about the bond thriving on closeness, Dumbledore decided," Ginny said. "His best theory was that the bond expends more energy the further apart we are, so we both feel most comfortable when in contact."

"So, you're not actually required to share a room, it is just a matter of what you're both used to?" Arthur said, frowning.

Ginny huffed impatiently, "Technically, yes, we can sleep apart. But it is harder to get a good sleep, and we'll both be tired and grumpy afterwards."

"I'm not sure that your mother will accept that, Ginny. For that matter, I'm not sure I accept it either. You're eighteen, yes, but sharing a bed with a boy, even one you're soul bonded to, just isn't a habit you should get into," Arthur said, not dropping the frown.

"Actually, I wished to talk to you about that, Mr Weasley," Harry interjected before Ginny could respond.

Arthur raised his eyebrows as he looked at Harry standing there, slightly nervous.

"Sir, I may be bonded to your daughter, and I may have only just been reunited with her, but I've known her for years. In this world, she was one of my closest friends from a young age and in my world, she was the not just my soulmate, but also my partner in winning the war. I know you don't think we've been together for more than a few days, but for us, it has been too long. I love her and I'd…I'd like to request your daughter's hand in marriage," Harry fell silent, and tried his best to not show his discomfort or fear. The feelings of love and support coming through the bond form Ginny helped him to relax, if only a little.

Arthur sighed as he took in the young man standing next to his only daughter.

"I must admit, I had always expected to have some kind of warning before having this conversation," he said carefully. "But, from what you've explained about the soul bond and given that you both know each other from another world too, perhaps it makes sense."

He paused, his eyes distant.

"I doubt Molly will like it much, but if I know my daughter, she'll encourage you to elope before ever leaving you alone, so you have my blessing. I don't want to miss my Ginny's wedding," Arthur said.

Ginny pulled away from Harry to give her father a warm hug.

"Thank you, dad," she whispered in his ear.

"Will you be happy, Ginny?" he whispered back. "Am I doing the right thing?"

"Yes, dad. I wouldn't be happy any other way," Ginny said, smiling.

As she turned back towards Harry, she suddenly remembered something they had forgotten. As soon as she did, Harry picked up on the thought and his eyes went wide suddenly.

"Oh! I haven't got a ring yet!" Harry exclaimed. "I'll need to get you one, if we're going to do this all properly!"

Harry quickly turned to Lily, where she still had tears running down her face after watching her son proclaim his love for Ginny.

"Is there any way I can get to Diagon Alley, mum? Mum?" Harry moved over to Lily, as she wiped the tears away and smiled at him. "Are you okay?"

"I fine, dear. It isn't every day my son returns from the dead and asks to marry his soulmate," Lily said thickly. She took him into a hug and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Harry."

She let go, and stepped back, letting Ginny wrap her arms back around Harry.

"I suggest, if you want a ring, you might want to talk to James. It might be good for the two of you to do something together. And he always did want to go ring shopping with his son," Lily told Harry.

"How about you go talk to your dad, and I'll go find my mum?" Ginny said. "I hope she can be happy for me, and not too angry."

"I'll help you talk to her, Ginny," said Arthur.

"Thanks, dad," Ginny said, relaxing a bit.

"Are you sure dad will want to help me?" Harry asked Lily. "He doesn't seem that keen on me apparently replacing the memory of his son."

"Harry, you are our son. Yes, you may have been born in another world to alternative version of ourselves, but we should be happy to all be here together in this world. James will come around eventually. And when he does, he'll be even more upset if you didn't offer him the chance now," Lily said gently.

Harry just grimaced, before squeezing Ginny's hand tightly and making his way out of the room towards the study, to find James.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so much longer to come out than the previous ones. It gave me a lot of trouble to figure out where I wanted it to go without being boring and I had to rewrite sections of it a few times. I now have a pretty good plan for the next few chapters though, so I know where the story is heading again. I've also figured out some character arcs for some of the characters._

 _I had a lot of trouble with the tone of this chapter. The first half of the story ended up a bit darker than I had anticipated and the first version of this chapter was much too light and cheerful. I hope this strikes a bit of a balance here, and the lighter elements (mostly interactions between Harry and Ginny) don't clash too greatly with the overall story._


	9. The Engagement

Harry stood in front of the door to the study in Grimmauld Place. He could hear the quiet voices of James and Sirius from inside, yet they were too indistinct to make out individual words. After a mental nudge from Ginny, he pushed open the door and walked inside. He was met with a curious gaze from Sirius and a strange expression he couldn't identify from James.

"Hello Harry," Sirius said. "Did you need something?"

"Ah, well, mum said I should ask you for help, umm, James," Harry said, feeling suddenly very nervous.

 _Why can't I just fight Dark Wizards and be done with it?_ he wondered, earning laughter from Ginny.

"What did you want help with, Harry?" James asked, not unkindly.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley," Harry said. He took a deep breath and then, "I need to buy a ring for Ginny."

There was a pause as James looked at him, shocked. Harry, unable to stand the silence, tried to fill it desperately.

"I mean, we're already soul bonded, and nothing can change that. But we don't want to be apart again. We've already thought the other was dead for several months and also several years. And it is really hard to sleep at night without being together, but we doubt Mrs Weasley will be happy with that unless we're married. But we don't want to put anything on official record until the war is over, so we were thinking of doing a small bonding ceremony, then we can make it official after the war."

Sirius started to chuckle, "He reminds me of you, James, when you wanted help finding a ring for Lily."

James smiled slightly at the reminder.

"If Lily told you to ask me, I'll never hear the end of it if I said no. When did you want to go?" James said lightly.

"Umm, now?" Harry said, trying to ignore the idea that James was only going because Lily told him to.

"Alright," said James.

"Did you need company?" Sirius asked.

"No, you stay here, mate," James said as he stood and made his way over towards Harry. "Or head home to avoid Molly; she's either going to be on a rampage or gushing over everyone."

In the privacy of their minds, Ginny snorted at the honest appraisal of her mother.

 _Aren't you meant to be the one talking to her?_

 _Shut up._

Harry's lips twitched upwards at Ginny's response before he turned his attention back into the room around him. He realised that James and Sirius were both looking at him curiously.

"Umm, sorry. Just something Ginny said," he said with a shrug.

"Merlin, that is strange," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Imagine having someone else able to listen in on all your conversations!"

"We can hide stuff from each other if we both agree to it. If we don't agree, it doesn't work though; I can't hide anything from Ginny if she is determined, and vice versa," Harry said. "But we only ever really do that for surprise presents, that sort of thing. We got used to sharing everything back in my world."

"Right," James said as he pulled the door open. "Come on, I have to let Lily know we're going."

Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder as Harry followed James out of the room.

The two Potters made their way down to the kitchen where they found Lily pouring over a recipe for biscuits.

"We're just going to Diagon Alley, Lils," James said as he walked over to press a kiss on the top of her head.

"Okay, be careful and don't stay too late," Lily said smiling up at him.

Harry was caught suddenly with how ridiculously domestic the whole scene appeared to be, even as another part of him mind told him he had seen it thousands of times before. He clamped down hard on his emotions, not letting anything show. Ginny just sent warm understanding through the bond as she felt his mood shift so rapidly and saw the cause.

James beckoned for Harry to follow him as they went to the floo in the living room. A few seconds later, Harry stumbled out of the in the Leaky Cauldron to be steadied by James.

"Still hopeless with the floo then?" James said with a grin. "We can apparate back when we're done."

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry muttered.

James just snickered as he led the way out into Diagon Alley. The first thing Harry was struck by was the mood in the Alley. Half the shops were boarded up and everyone moved quickly with their heads down, determined not to be noticed. A few tattered newspapers rustled in the breeze from where they lay on the ground, and various wanted posters were pasted on shop windows, lending a dark atmosphere to the street. He also noticed a large empty building that should've been Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, but here is stood empty and barren.

 _Nobody gave them the start-up money in this world,_ Ginny reminded him quietly.

James set a brisk pace down the Alley, until they reached the first jewellery shop where he quickly ushered Harry inside, looking nervously up and down the street. Harry wandered up to the display of rings and started looking for one that would suit Ginny.

 _Ooh, some of them are nice!_ Ginny said in his mind.

 _Ginny! You're not allowed to look for this bit! Go talk to your mother!_

 _But she'll be cross with me._

 _So will I, if you don't let me pick your ring,_ Harry grumbled.

 _Fine. Spoil sport,_ Ginny pouted.

Blocking Ginny from his mind, Harry noticed James standing next to him, looking at the rings.

"Found any you like?" he asked Harry.

"Not yet," Harry said. "I had to stop Ginny from snooping first."

James chuckled, "Are you sure you know what you're letting yourself in for?"

"Yeah, but she'd hex me if I tried to run away," Harry said with a snort.

He looked over the rings in more detail, hoping one would stand out when he had a sudden thought.

"How am I going to pay for this? I didn't bring any money from my world across."

"I'll pay for it," James said immediately. "And, if you want to later, you can always pay me back."

"Thank you." Harry said, surprised. "I don't want anything too extravagant. Anything too over-the-top would just annoy Ginny."

"Well, given that you're bonded, why not something like these?" James asked, pointing at an eternity ring with two entwined bands supporting a delicate diamond on the top.

Harry smiled, looking at it.

"It's nice, yes."

At his comment, the shop assistant finally approached and offered to take the ring out.

"Do you have any in this style with different stones?" Harry asked. "Maybe with some green in it?"

"Those might be emeralds, Harry," said James, sounding amused.

Harry just shot James a dirty look as the assistant bustled about, pulling out more trays of rings from various counters. After a few more minutes of looking, Harry finally found a ring that caught his eye. It had two entwined bands with alternating emeralds and diamonds at each crossover, up to a modest square diamond held in the middle.

"What do you think of that one?" Harry asked, indicating it to James.

"I'm not the one wearing it," James grinned. "But it looks very nice. Not too overstated."

After Harry finished buying the ring, he turned back to James to find him staring out of the window. Following his gaze, Harry saw a group of people in black cloaks moving along the Alley, wands out, floating a young man above them, who appeared to be unconscious.

"What's happening?" Harry asked.

"Just the usual," James growled. "Setting an example by showing the world what happens to 'criminal' muggleborns who steal magic."

"Why are we just standing here? We should do something?" Harry cried, pulling out his wand.

James grabbed Harry roughly and pulled him back into a corner of the shop until they were eye-to-eye.

"Listen to me, Harry," he said quietly and urgently. "This is what the world is like at the moment. They aren't Death Eaters, they're the Ministry. We can't afford to pick a public fight here; we would lose. If you want to help them, then we need to win the war, not save them one at a time. The Order already does what we can to help refugees out of the country, or to shelter in Hogwarts. The only reason they let me walk around is because I told them I haven't seen Lily since before this all started. So, we're going to keep our heads down, and get back to the apparition point. Understand?"

Harry deflated slightly at hearing James' reasoning, "I still don't like it."

"I should be worried if you did like it," James said curtly. "Now, let's get going before they start trying to make examples of the rest of us."

They walked back out onto the street, and started to make their way back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Why is the ministry so deep under _his_ control?" Harry muttered to James as they walked.

"Everyone in a position of power answers to You-Know-You. Those below them are under the Imperius, and the rest are afraid of what will happen to themselves and their families if they disobey. The whole ministry isn't on his side, but just enough to keep the rest in line," James said in a low voice. "I can talk more back at home, it isn't safe enough to talk here."

* * *

As Harry and James left through the Floo, Ginny hesitantly tried to find her mother. She decided to quickly stop off in Harry's room first in an attempt to put off the conversation. Ginny wasn't so much afraid of what would happen if her mother said no; she was more worried about what her mother would do when Ginny went ahead with a bonding ceremony, regardless. While she sat on the bed, Ginny immersed herself in the bond to Harry to watch how Harry and James were interacting as they walked though Diagon Alley. She noticed Harry looking curiously at the shop that should've been her brother's colourful joke shop, but was currently standing bare and bland.

 _Nobody gave them the start-up money in this world,_ Ginny pointed out as she picked up on the memory of Harry handing his Triwizard Winnings to Fred and George in the last world.

She idly watched as they went into a jewellery shop and began to look at rings. Ginny was feeling quite excited as she realised that Harry was right now buying a ring to propose to her with.

 _Ooh, some of them are nice!_ she couldn't help but notice as she smiled.

 _Ginny! You're not allowed to look for this bit! Go talk to your mother!_ Harry said, as he noticed her watching.

 _But she'll be cross with me._ Ginny thought, weakly, as she berated herself for letting Harry notice her thoughts.

 _So will I, if you don't let me pick your ring._

 _Fine. Spoil sport,_ Ginny responded, pouting in the privacy of her room. She felt the link to Harry goes blurry, like there was some kind of interference. Recognising it as Harry blocking her from watching, she sighed and went back to trying to find her mother. It didn't take long until she found Molly sitting in a small armchair in her bedroom, as Arthur sat on the only other chair in the room.

"Hi mum," Ginny started, sounding far more casual than she felt as she walked over to perch on the edge of the bed.

"Ginny," Molly said stiffly.

Ginny winced internally at the poor start.

"I wanted to talk to you about Harry," she continued.

"Oh, you too then?" Molly said, looking pointedly at Arthur. "What is it you're both so desperate to talk to me about then?"

Ginny glanced at her father and, after receiving a small nod, turned back to her mum.

"Well, you see, we're soul bonded. And, so, we're going to always be together now. And…we love each other," Ginny said, hoping to soften her mother up.

"How can you be so sure of that after having met only two days ago?" Molly said briskly.

"Part of the soul bond, mum, means we can't hide our emotions from one another, and we can never lie to one another. I know I love Harry, and I can feel that he loves me back," Ginny started. "As for how long it has been, since we bonded, I've gained all the memories of the Ginny from Harry's world. In a way, I think I've sort of become that Ginny too. I feel different now, much stronger than I was. Remember how I was before Harry died? I feel more like that loud and strong girl than I have done for the past seven years. That is from the other world. I didn't lose Harry in that world, and we've been together for years. About three years, since the bond formed there."

Molly pursed her lips as Ginny talked.

"So, he came and changed you, did he? Replaced you with somebody else?" Molly said.

Ginny sighed, "No, mum! I'm still me! I'm just, also another me at the same time. So is Harry! He's the young boy you knew who died in the Chamber _and_ he is the Harry I formed a soul bond with when I was fifteen."

"That may take some time to get used to, Ginny," Molly said.

"I know, mum. But there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. And I hope you remember what I've just told you. He is still Harry and I love him very dearly," Ginny said, imploringly.

"And what's that?" Molly asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Harry and I want to have a bonding ceremony," Ginny blurted out quickly. "And then, when the war is all over, we'll lodge it with the Ministry to make it all official."

Molly gaped at Ginny for a few moments before pulling herself together.

"Why now, missy? Surely you can both wait until we get to know this Harry, at the very least? It seems like you're rushing," Molly said sharply.

"In the last world, mum, we did wait. But by the time the war was over, everyone else was dead. Even me," Ginny said, adding the last bit very quietly, though by how pale Molly went, she had heard it too.

"We just want everyone to be there before…before anything happens," Ginny said quietly.

Molly sighed as she had to concede to Ginny's point.

"Is that the only reason, Ginny?" Molly asked.

Ginny squirmed slightly trying to think of a way to avoid the question when Arthur spoke up.

"I believe she and Harry would be most uncomfortable being separated due to the soul bond. From what I understand, trying to sleep while half of your soul is somewhere else would be a painful experience," he said, sounding reasonable, if still somewhat uncomfortable himself.

Molly frowned, "You're doing this to sleep with him?"

"Mum, that is hardly the main reason!" Ginny cried. "Harry and I are already bonded, getting married at this point is nothing more than a formality! And, yes, it will be more comfortable, but even without the bond, I'd feel safer with Harry than without."

"Molly, Ginny is eighteen. There is nothing we can do to stop her having a bonding ceremony. But wouldn't we rather be a part of it?" Arthur asked.

Molly slumped down in her chair.

"I suppose. I'm just so used to you being my little girl. I always thought I'd have a bit more warning and time to get to know the boy," she said.

"That's what dad said," Ginny said, with a small smile. "You'll help me then? We were hoping to have it organised for this weekend."

"Of course, I'll help you, you're my daughter!" Molly said, jumping up from her chair and grabbing Ginny in a rib-crushing hug. "I just want you to be happy, dear."

"Trust me, mum," Ginny said, pulling back, "This will make me as happy as I can be."

* * *

Harry and James appeared back on the doorstep of Grimmauld place with a crack. As James opened the door and pulled Harry through the wards, Harry opened the bond to Ginny again to pinpoint where she was. He just realised she was close before he was knocked backwards by a red-haired missile crashing into him.

 _Did you miss me?_ Harry asked with amusement.

 _Mum said yes!_ Ginny crowed. _She'll help us have a proper bonding!_

Harry whooped, albeit quietly to avoid waking the portraits in the front hall, and gave Ginny a tight hug. _How did you manage that?_

 _I just kept emphasising how long we'd known each other, and made sure she knew that we were doing this anyway, whether she approved or not. She realised she will have to help, if she wishes to be a part of it. How was Diagon Alley?_

Harry grimaced. _Bleak. There was a heap of Death Eaters there but nothing I could do about it. And everyone else just stayed out of their way._

 _We won't exactly have much time for a honeymoon, will we,_ Ginny thought with a sigh.

 _We can have a proper one when the war is over,_ Harry replied, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Shaking off the sombre mood, Ginny grinned mischievously. _Do I get to see the ring then?_

 _What ring?_ Harry asked trying to sound innocent. _I might not have found one I liked._

 _You had better of brought me a nice ring, Potter!_ Ginny said, poking Harry in the stomach.

 _Come on,_ Harry said, grabbing Ginny's hand and pulling her back to what had become his room.

Once they were sat side-by-side on the bed, Harry pulled out the small velvet box from his pocket.

"I know we don't exactly have a typical relationship, because of the bond, but I want to get this bit right," he said.

Ginny smiled fondly at him, "I wouldn't expect any less from you, Harry."

"Umm, right. Anyway, I, err...I love you Ginny. I have loved you for years now and when you died, it nearly killed me. But now I've got you back and you've made me laugh again for the first time in months, you've given me something to fight for again. You just seem to make my world so much brighter and…and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Ginevra Weasley," here, Harry finally opened the small ring box, showing the ring to Ginny. "Will you be my wife?"

Ginny swiped away a few tears, as she just nodded frantically, with a huge smile on her face.

"Yes! Yes, Harry, I will," she said when she finally got her voice back. "I knew you were going to do something like that, did you have to make me cry though?"

Harry just beamed as he carefully put the ring on Ginny's left hand. He wrapped his arms around her as she burrowed her face into his chest.

 _I love you too, Harry James Potter_. _So much._

* * *

 _A/N: Here we go, another chapter. I hope you like it. James is starting to warm up to Harry, but I don't know he will fully accept Harry as his son for a while yet. Though, the characters don't always behave how I expect when I start to write._

 _The storyline of the war will start to progress more in a few chapter's time, but there needs to be a bonding ceremony first. Please, give me any feedback you might have, some of these later chapters have been influenced by points people have made in the reviews, so don't be surprised if something you ask to know more about does get explained a bit further in later chapters. It isn't in my style to spend a great deal of time on exposition, I prefer to have an active running plot._

 _Oh, and those reading on the day I post this, you may notice it is April Fool's Day. I should've included Fred and George in this chapter, but I finished writing it before I noticed the date. I'll try to include them in the next one then._


	10. Deep Breath before the Storm

It was late in the afternoon when a loud double crack echoed from the front hall of Grimmauld Place. Harry looked up from where he was sitting in the kitchen chatting to Sirius as Fred and George Weasley sauntered through the door.

"Well, well, well," Fred (or possibly George) said. "If it isn't the mysterious stranger who has stolen our Ginny, awake at last."

Sirius sat back in his chair, smirking back at Harry as he watched Harry cringe almost imperceptibly under the twins' stares.

 _Ginny?_

 _Yes, Harry? Oh, those two have finally shown up, have they? I'll just tell mum, then I'll be there._

"Fred, George, how are you both?" Harry said, keeping his voice level and calm.

The twins both flopped down into chairs opposite Harry, maintaining rather off-putting manic grins.

"Well, you know how it is," one started.

"Boosting moral where possible, fighting death eaters," the other continued.

"All in an average day," the first finished.

Harry rolled his eyes at the way the twins handed sentences back and forth between each other. _Say, Ginny? Want to freak them out a bit?_

 _Let's do this,_ Ginny sent back as she snuck quietly into the room behind the twins, holding her mother back from talking just yet.

"You know, - "

" – back in Harry's world, - "

" – you two got enough money – "

" – to actually build that shop –"

" – that you've told Ginny about," Harry and Ginny said, bouncing the sentence back and forth between them, watching as the twins spun around to see Ginny behind them.

"Wicked!" Fred and George said in unison. "You two are worse than us!"

Ginny shrugged as she moved around to sit next to Harry, "It is fairly easy, but it just seems weird to do all the time."

Mrs Weasley didn't look nearly as impressed as the twins, and frowned slightly as she greeted Fred and George, shooting a glance over at Harry and Ginny. Harry noticed the look and sighed quietly.

 _I don't think your mum likes being reminded of our bond much, yet._

 _She will have to get used to it._ Ginny fired back, sounding unimpressed.

"So, ickle Gin-Gin, how is it that we hear you're having a bonding ceremony to a man you've just met?" George said, sounding suddenly more serious.

"And what is a bonding ceremony anyway?" Fred added. "Isn't that just a marriage ceremony?"

"Ickle Gin-Gin?" Ginny said, narrowing her eyes. With a subtle wave of her fingers, the twins' hair suddenly grew down long around their shoulders and turned a bright neon pink that didn't nothing to help the horrible clashing between their hair and clothes.

Noticing their new hair styles, the twins just grinned widely and turned back to Ginny.

"You haven't hexed us in years, Ginny," Fred said. "Good to see someone else in the family is finally trying to carry on the legacy."

Ginny shook her head, and made to answer George's earlier question.

"You saw how we talked just now?" Ginny asked.

The twins glanced at one another briefly, before turning back to Harry and Ginny.

"Well, yeah. Bit hard to miss when your quiet, shy sister starts to talk about other worlds and seems to be, overall, rather more cheerful than normal," George said.

"Not to mention, you threw that sentence around so much, it became hard to follow," Fred said, trying to look sternly at Harry and Ginny. "That's meant to be our thing, not yours."

"Anyway," said Ginny, obviously used to the conversation getting so derailed, "We're already sharing a soul bond, so having the ceremony should just help make it official. And besides, we've known each other for years in our respective separate dimensions."

Fred and George shared another glance before shrugging.

"Fair enough, little sis. If he can tolerate you, we say, good on him!" said George, grinning.

Ginny just smiled sweetly back at them, "Why thank you, brothers dearest."

If anything, the look of innocence on Ginny's face at that point, coupled with the smile on Harry's served to make the twins more uncomfortable, rather than at ease. Shaking his head at some of the prank ideas running through Ginny's head, Harry stood up.

"Does anyone know where mum is?" Harry asked of the room in general.

"Yeah, she is in that sitting room on the first floor, where I just was," Ginny said. "Why don't you go find her, and I might go see if I can talk to Rose for a bit."

"Thanks," Harry said and, with a quick smile at Ginny, he left the kitchen where the twins were being mothered by Molly while they tried to discuss pranking ideas with Sirius.

Harry walked up the stairs from the kitchen and down the passageway until he came to the sitting room. He hesitated just around the corner from the door, suddenly struck by how bizarre everything was. Just a few weeks ago, he had been completely alone, with no hope left and now, here he was, happy and about to talk to Lily Potter. To his mum. He felt a pair of arms snake around his middle and hold him tightly as Ginny made her presence behind him known.

 _Don't question it, Harry. Just be glad. I know I am._

Harry just smiled and squeezed Ginny's hands where they rested on his stomach gratefully. He took a breath, shaking off his pensive mood, and walked into the room in front of him.

Lily looked up from where she seemed lost in thought staring into the fire and smiled at him.

"Busy day then?" she asked.

Harry shrugged and sat down on the opposite chair.

"Busy week, really," he replied.

They both sank into silence, just watching the flames flicker over the logs in the fireplace. Harry was peripherally aware of Ginny finding Ron and Hermione again in the library, and asking where she could find Rose.

"Are we just wasting time?" Harry asked suddenly.

Lily looked at him, confused.

"Ginny and I, I mean. We know how to take down Riddle, but we're wasting time with a bonding ceremony just because we want our families to be able to attend. It seems…selfish," Harry elaborated.

Lily sighed, "I don't think it is selfish at all, Harry. When James and I left school, there was still a war. We both knew we wanted to fight, and so we joined the Order. I didn't go do the further study I had planned to, and James didn't get involved in Quidditch like he planned to. But we didn't just fight. We got married, went on a honeymoon, and then later, we had you. And I don't regret it for a second. At least our friends were all able to be there. By the time Riddle fell to Neville Longbottom, some of those people were dead."

Harry shifted uncomfortably as Lily broke off, apparently reminiscing about friends that hadn't survived the war.

"Where is Remus?" he asked quietly. "Is he…"

"He's off on a mission for Dumbledore. Not that it will do any good, but he would insist on trying," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"He's off with the werewolves?" Harry asked, remembering vaguely something similar happening in his old world.

"Yes, he's trying to convince them to help us, or at least not get involved at all," Lily replied.

Harry fell silent again, trying to phrase his next question.

"What is it, Harry?" Lily said suddenly. "You look just like you always did when you wanted to ask a question, but didn't want anyone to laugh at you," she continued, smiling softly at him.

"Umm, well, about me and Ginny," Harry started.

"Ginny and I," Lily corrected idly.

"Err, yeah, Ginny and I. Are you happy? About us?" Harry asked, uncertainly.

Lily smiled, "We all used to believe you two would end up together when you were both young and inseparable. Then you died, and she was so distraught. From what you've said, you lost her in your world too. It seems to me you've both got the chance to both be happy here, so how could I not be happy for you?"

"But Molly and…and Dad don't seem so happy. And I've barely seen Rose at all."

"They'll come around, don't you worry."

At that point, Ginny walked into the room looking troubled. She flopped into the seat next to Harry, half crushing him in the process.

"Ginny?" Harry said aloud, mostly for Lily's benefit. "What's wrong?"

"I tried talking to Rose about you," Ginny sighed as she snuggled into Harry's side. "But she thinks you've corrupted me so nothing I say means anything anymore."

Ginny said it all very casually, but Harry could feel the pain of rejection as one of Ginny's close friends refused to talk to her. He rubbed her back with one hand, and placed a gentle kiss on her hair.

"I'll go talk to her," Lily said, standing up. "I think she is just scared to get close again. She was hit very hard by your loss, Harry."

Smiling at the two of them, Lily left the room, ruffling Harry's hair as she passed.

* * *

Earlier, Ginny watched Harry enter the sitting room to find his mother. She smiled at the joyful feeling Harry got every time he realised he could just talk to his mother, despite the many years of being an orphan in one world.

Ginny quickly moved back up the stairs in search of Rose. She poked her head into the Library to find Ron and Hermione, the former looking exasperated, while the later was, predictably, looking through several large books that surrounded her on a table.

" - so important, Hermione? He doesn't seem to want to go back to his world!" Ron said as Ginny heard their conversation.

"It isn't a matter of sending Harry back, Ronald, it is just the principle of whether we can select the right dimension to send somebody to. If we can summon someone so effectively, we need to know how to return them!" Hermione replied heatedly.

Ginny cleared her throat loudly cutting off Ron's response.

"Ginny!" Ron said. "Where's Harry?"

"He's talking to Lily, why?" Ginny said, taken aback at the sudden question.

"We just haven't really seen him," Ron said, shrugging. "And I'm curious about what the last world was like."

Ginny sighed, "You can ask me too, you know. I remember everything from that world too. Mostly from my point of view, but only from Harry's after I died, obviously."

Ron went pale.

"Y-you died?" he said. "But, how?"

"Riddle got me personally. Harry and I were about the only two left fighting him, and he got a lucky shot in. I was stupid and didn't dodge fast enough. And as to why nobody saved me, well, everyone else was already dead," Ginny said flatly. "Any other questions about how screwed up the world was in the end?"

Ron shook his head, still pale.

Ginny turned to Hermione, "Have you seen Rose? I want to talk to her."

"Umm, I think she locked herself in her room," Hermione said. "She seems very confused about the whole situation."

"Thanks," Ginny said, smiling weakly. "And sorry Ron. I didn't mean to bite, I just don't like the memory of dying very much. I'm sure Harry would be happy to chat to you about the more normal aspects of our old world at some point. You two were best mates, after all."

With that, Ginny quietly left the library and climbed up a further flight of stairs, and headed to Rose's bedroom. Sure enough, the door was shut and the handle stuck firm.

"Rose?" Ginny called, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

After a pause, there was a click and Rose appeared in the doorway, looking at Ginny. She glanced around briefly, checking it was just Ginny before nodding and standing back. Ginny wandered over and sat on the end of the bed, leaning up against the wall in much the same way as she had done in the past when seeing Rose. The girl in question curled up at the head of the bed, with a guarded expression on her face that immediately put Ginny on edge.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Ginny asked quietly. "I haven't seen you lately."

"You've been too busy with him," Rose said flatly. "Mum says you're getting married to him now too."

"Well, yeah," Ginny said, alarms by the bitterness in her friend's tone. "But I'm still your friend too, right? Harry and I are soul-bonded, it only makes sense for us to get married while everyone can be there."

"Are you still my friend though?" Rose asked harshly. "You talk more, you're smiling all the time too. You don't seem like the Ginny I've known for years."

"I haven't exactly been myself for years, Rose," Ginny said starting to get annoyed with the younger girl's tone. "I've been sad and lonely and I've had a great big hole in my mind where I should have had Harry. Living with half of a soul bond is hell, Rose. Why are you so determined to dislike him? He's your brother!"

"My brother died!" Rose snapped. "And now this person shows up, trying to look like him, and pretending to be him, but I knew my own brother! And this, whoever he is? He doesn't act or even look the same! Harry never looked so tired, or so old."

"You're being irrational," Ginny snapped in reply, standing up off the bed. "You're just afraid of being hurt, so you'd rather hurt Harry."

"Well, he's clearly changed you to the point I don't know you anymore, Ginevra," Rose growled back. "Now get out of my room."

Letting her temper get the better of her, Ginny wasted no time in marching out of the room and slamming the door shut. She was halfway back down the stairs before she stopped and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. Whatever she had been expecting when talking to Rose, it hadn't included complete rejection from someone who had been a good friend for most of her life. Ginny sighed to herself, wishing she had tried to be more understanding of Rose's point of view. But the way Rose had attacked Harry like that, Ginny simply couldn't let that go.

Pushing herself back off the wall, Ginny went back to the sitting room to find Harry again. Upon walking in, she promptly sat down in the same chair as Harry, feeling the need for comfort. After relaying her lack of success talking to Rose, Lily soon left the room to talk to her youngest child leaving Ginny to burrow closer into Harry's side.

 _You're upset,_ Harry noted.

 _Yeah,_ Ginny thought back, sighing. _I didn't expect her to be so cruel._

 _She and Dad are rather similar, I think. Neither of them want to believe it is me, in case I turn out to be some kind of trick._ Harry reasoned.

 _Will they ever come around?_

 _From what I remember of Rose, she'll probably come around faster than Dad will. Mum will talk to her and that will help a lot._

 _Mmm,_ Ginny thought, as she closed her eyes again, resting on Harry. Harry rested his own head on top of Ginny's and closed his eyes, feeling the most relaxed he had in years. Just as his was starting to drift off, the door to the sitting room opened again and Lily walked in, followed by Rose.

"Harry?" Lily said. "Rose here would like to say something to you."

Rose rolled her eyes at her mother briefly before looking back at the ground somewhere in front of Harry.

"Umm, I'm sorry. I've been rather rude and haven't given you a chance, Harry. Mum said you have all your memories from before you…from when you were here, so I guess you're just older than I remember."

Harry smiled brightly, despite the words sounding like half of them had come directly from Lily.

"It's okay Rosie. I don't expect it would be easy seeing me alive after so long. And, if it helps, I can still tease you like I used to. Like about that time you decided you were going to marry both Fred and George because they were funny."

"Don't you dare!" Rose spluttered, turning red as Ginny laughed. "And I was only six!"

Harry grinned back before letting the smile fade off his face.

"But, it isn't me you need to apologise to, Rose. I haven't been around, it's understandable that you'd be upset with me. But Ginny has always been your friend," he said seriously.

 _Harry, it's fine…_ Ginny protested silently.

"Umm, yeah, sorry Ginny. I was just used to you being on my side, I guess. And you haven't been around much this week," Rose said awkwardly.

Ginny smiled half-heartedly at Rose.

"S'okay," she said quietly. "I may head off to bed though."

 _Goodnight,_ she said as she kissed Harry gently.

 _Goodnight Ginny. I may stay up and chat to Rose for a bit._

At that, Ginny quietly went back to the room she shared with Hermione and got changed into her pyjamas. Just as she dived under the covers, the door swung open again to admit Hermione as she called goodnight to Ron over her shoulder.

"Ginny!" Hermione said, sounding surprised. "I assumed you'd be with Harry."

"I wish I was," Ginny grumbled. "But I know mum won't let me stay with him just yet."

"Is that why you're getting married then?" Hermione said, frowning slightly.

"Partially," Ginny deadpanned.

"But it isn't the only reason, is it?" Hermione said carefully.

Ginny sighed.

"No Hermione. We've known each other for years now. And we've been together since he was sixteen in the last world. And in this world, he was always my closest friend. And we're soul-bonded. Getting married is really just a formality given the bond."

Hermione nodded, looking thoughtful as she absentmindedly got ready for bed herself.

"Are you excited?" the older girl asked.

Ginny grinned and nodded.

"I can't wait," she said. "And I know Harry feels the same."

"So, do you mean to tell me, all those times I tried to get you to go on dates with any of the guys who asked you, you were never going to say yes?" Hermione said, sounding affronted. "You said you were thinking about it."

"To be honest Hermione, I was mostly humouring you," Ginny said with a laugh. "I knew I couldn't bear to date anyone while I had one half of a broken bond still echoing in my head. I was very thankful that you cared enough to try though."

Hermione dropped onto the foot of Ginny's bed with a huff.

"You might have told me. I would've helped keep that Corner bloke away from you," Hermione said.

"I was fine," Ginny said, smiling at her friend. "And besides, I didn't fully know what it was and didn't feel like talking about it. I didn't want people to think I was damaged somehow."

"You weren't damaged, Ginny!" Hermione said, shocked.

"I was," Ginny argued. "I had more magical ability, but at the cost of half of my own mind. Technically, I was actually crazy."

Hermione looked at Ginny through narrowed eyes until Ginny couldn't hold back anymore and accidentally let out a snort of laughter.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and got up off Ginny's bed and got under her own covers.

"Well, goodnight then," she said.

"You too, Hermione."

 _Harry?_ Ginny sent, finding Harry just heading upstairs from chatting to Rose.

 _Yes?_

 _I'll see you in the morning._

 _I'll be there,_ Harry sent back, smiling.

 _I love you._

 _I love you too. Goodnight Ginny._

 _Night Harry._

* * *

 _A/N: I am very sorry this chapter took quite so long to be finished. I had a lot of trouble getting all the interactions right in this on._

 _For those wondering, next chapter will see us getting back to the main story arc again, enough of the fluffy stuff. And we should start moving pretty quickly from there, given my planned outline._

 _As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and any feedback or questions you may have, feel free to let me know._


	11. The First Horcrux

Harry looked around him with a small smile. After their small bonding ceremony, Sirius had forced a portkey on Harry and Ginny, sending them to a small cottage he apparently owned to use as a safehouse up in Scotland. It was an idyllic location on the side of a small creek, halfway up a hill, offering a view into a small valley.

He thought back on the past two weeks with Ginny. They hadn't had to worry about the war, or wonder when Death Eaters would find them. It was just peaceful. After such a long time without peace, they had both almost forgotten what it was like to have no worries.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts by a pair of arm winding around his waist from behind as Ginny came and leant against his back, her chin on his shoulder.

 _I wish we could stay longer,_ she thought.

 _Perhaps we will come back. Once we win the war for this world,_ he thought wistfully.

Ginny smiled wanly. _I guess it's time we did something about that._

Harry sighed. He waved one hand at their few bags, banishing them back to Grimmauld Place, before wrapping his hands around Ginny's where they rested on his stomach.

 _Shall we?_ he asked.

Rather than responding, Ginny just squeezed him tighter to herself and disapperated both of them back to London.

Upon arriving, they found themselves alone in the foyer, in a suspiciously quiet house. Sharing a quick glance, they both pulled out their wands, and started walking stealthily towards the closed kitchen door. As Ginny watched for danger, Harry carefully charmed open the doorknob and pushed to door in with his wand. They both relaxed as familiar voices were heard on the other side of the door.

Harry and Ginny shrugged off their overcautious behaviour, stowed their wands, and pushed the door open the rest of the way and walked in. Sitting around the table were Molly, Arthur, Lily, James, Sirius and Dumbledore.

Molly gasped on seeing them standing in the doorway and, before they knew it, was up and hugging both of them fiercely.

"Oh, you're home, dears! Come in and sit down, both of you. Have you had breakfast yet?"

After fending off Molly, Harry and Ginny finished greeting everyone else in the room, with many hugs and handshakes. The exception was Dumbledore who stayed sat at the table, offering only a quiet 'Good Morning'.

Once they were seated at the table, it was Sirius who spoke first.

"So," he drawled. "You two are quite a bit later than we expected this morning. Got a bit distracted, did we?"

"Sirius," Lily said warningly, as Molly frowned at the implication.

"What?" he said innocently. "They've been on their Honeymoon in the middle of nowhere, alone…"

He trailed off as James nudged him and shot him a warning look to match the one coming from Lily.

Ginny rolled her eyes before changing the subject, "Has anything much happened while we've been away?"

The other adults in the room glanced at Dumbledore who continued to stare unseeingly into the cup of tea he held cradled in his lined hands.

"Well, we've had some good news, of course. But there was some bad news too," James started carefully. "We managed to break out a group of muggleborns from the Ministry's holding cells last week and get them to Hogwarts safely. And three of them have even said they'll join the Order now."

"And the bad news?" Harry asked with dread.

James must've picked up on his tone., "Nobody died, if that's what you're worried about. The werewolves have decided not to help us. They don't want to get involved, for the most part. Any that do want to fight are with You-Know-Who. Which reminds me, we suspect he placed a Taboo on his name again, so we're back to using made up names for him."

"Does that mean Remus is back?" Harry asked hopefully.

"He's upstairs resting," Lily said. "He got a bit roughed up by the other wolves when they made their decision."

"I think it is time we had a talk," an old, tired voice suddenly interjected.

Harry and Ginny looked around to see Dumbledore looking at them with a penetrating, yet tired gaze.

"Yes," said Ginny. "That's why we're here now. We're ready to help do our part."

"Do your part?" Molly ground out dangerously.

"Perhaps we should leave them to discuss this," Arthur said gentle pulling his wife's arm as he stood.

"We'll see you later for lunch, perhaps," Lily added as she also stood.

James went to follow here, but she put her hand on his shoulder, silently telling him to stay. The room was left quiet as James and Sirius looked between Dumbledore and the two teens who sat together opposite them.

Harry sighed. _Where do we start?_

 _With the prophecy? Or our bond, maybe?_

 _Right._

Harry took a breath and started to talk to the elderly wizard in front of him. "We don't know for sure if this world is the same, but Riddle certainly seems to be acting about the same. Except here he went for Neville not me. I take it there is still a prophecy?"

Dumbledore just nodded.

"Right. Umm, in my old world, the power I knew not turned out to be my soul-bond to Ginny. It makes us both a lot stronger than average."

"We're not sure if being bound twice now will have changed the amount of power we have." Ginny put in.

"We both were holding the power of two people when we met in this world, so, for all we know, we're now as strong as both pairs of ourselves from both worlds." Harry elaborated.

"Well, that wasn't confusing at all," Sirius muttered, only to be elbowed back into silence by James again.

"Either way, the prophecy in this world can still apply to this Harry," Ginny said. "So, we have the power to defeat him, if we meet him in a dual. It should be over pretty fast, actually. But beating anyone in a dual isn't the hard part."

"The tricky part is tracking down and destroying all the Horcruxes." Harry said.

"He made Horcruxes?" a hoarse voice said from the doorway.

"Remus!" Sirius said, beckoning the shabby looking man into the room. "Harry's finally come home!"

"Harry?" Remus said, eyes wide. He stumbled into the room, and grabbed Harry in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Harry," he mumbled

"Save me?" Harry said, completely nonplussed. "Remus, I was killed by a basilisk. I think that was beyond even you."

"I was tutoring you ahead in defence. Maybe I could've trained you better!" Remus said, pulling away, looking upset.

"Remus, you're being an idiot," Sirius said sharply. "I thought we got you past this years ago."

Remus shook himself abruptly, "Right, yes. Sorry for interrupting Albus."

Dumbledore nodded slightly, "It is to be expected, Remus. You hadn't seen Harry yet. Perhaps you might continue now, Harry?"

"Well, Harry didn't go back for his seventh year at school, but spent that year hunting down the remaining Horcruxes that you hadn't found yet before you died, sir." Ginny said, picking up the story.

"There are six in total, between the diary, locket, cup, diadem, ring and, in that world at least, his snake, Nagini. Each of them were items of some significance though. The locket and the ring were both Salazar Slytherin's while the cup and diadem were Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's respectively. The diary and his snake are both just his," she continued.

"If we assume they are hidden in the same locations, the Diadem should be the easy one" Harry pitched in. "It was hidden in Hogwarts, in a room on the seventh floor. The locket may be in its original place, or it may have already been stolen by a Death Eater who discovered his secret before the end of the first war."

"Who was that?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry sighed and looked over at Sirius, "Do you know what happened to Regulus in this world?"

Sirius went pale as the implication of the question hit him.

"Reggie was trying to take him down?" he asked in strained voice. "That's why he went missing?"

"If he went missing in this world too then, probably, yes," Ginny said softly.

Sirius jumped up and strode out of the room without another word. After a shared glance and a nod, Remus followed him out, leaving James to follow the rest of the conversation.

"Do we assume then that Horcrux has been moved somewhere else?" James asked.

Harry and Ginny frowned simultaneously.

 _What do you think?_

 _We might spend ages looking for it only to find it was sitting that cave the whole time. I say we go check to be sure._

 _That potion is pretty brutal though. Not something I want to have to drink just on a hunch._

 _It mostly affected Dumbledore's mind though, right? So our bond should help to deaden the effects on either of us._

 _I guess. I still don't want to ever go back there._

 _We need to be sure though, Harry. Regulus may have gone missing before he found it, or for any other reason._

"We think we should still check the cave where it was hidden first before trying to find it elsewhere. If Regulus did steal the locket, it should've been here in Grimmauld Place under Kreacher's care," Harry said at last.

"Kreacher died several years ago," Dumbledore said. "Would he have left the locket here?"

"We're not sure," Ginny said. "We can get some people on the lookout for it while we go check the cave for it."

Dumbledore nodded, "And the others? You mentioned the diadem is at Hogwarts."

"The ring is in the Gaunt's old shack, on the outskirts of Little Hangleton. And the cup was in Gringotts, in Bellatrix's vault." Harry said.

"Where do you suggest we start then?" Dumbledore said after a significant pause.

Harry and Ginny shared another glance.

"Maybe start with the diadem. We will need to get the Sword of Gryffindor from Hogwarts anyway if we want to destroy them the easy way." Ginny said.

"Might I ask what the hard way is?" Dumbledore said.

"Fiendfire," Harry said.

"Ah. And you two cannot control that?"

"We can," Ginny said. "But it feels…wrong. All the Dark Arts resist us for some reason. You thought, in the other world, that is might be due to the inherent Lightness of a soul-bond fighting with the Dark Magic inside of us. It helps to stop us from being corrupted, but makes it very difficult for us to use any dark spells. Harry was violently ill one time when he cursed someone with a spell he didn't know was Dark."

"Indeed? That is most interesting," the elderly wizard said. "Well, perhaps we might venture to Hogwarts then, if you are both not otherwise engaged?"

The teens looked up, startled.

"What, now?" said Harry.

Dumbledore smiled, "Why delay? You've given me information that might help us win the war. I, for one, am very eager to see if that information still holds true in this dimension."

Ginny noticed Dumbledore was standing straighter, and his eyes were brighter than when they had first met him already. He seemed guarded though, as if not willing to get his hopes up yet.

"Alright, we'll just tell our parents," she said, making the decision for both of them.

"Won't you want some extra help with this, Albus?" James said, frowning. "Two teenagers, no matter how powerful, surely aren't a match for a few Order members?"

"I think, James, it is best to keep this quiet for now," Dumbledore said. "Even if we suspect a spy, we cannot let this become known. This is critical! If Harry and Ginny here have fought in the war before and won, it would be foolish of me to underestimate their skills."

"With all due respect, Mr Potter," Ginny added, "Harry and I could probably wipe the floor with the Order. And we know how these Horcruxes work, we know how to fight them. More people may just increase the chances of something going wrong."

James sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Lily won't like it. And you know your mother won't, Ginny."

"That's too bad," Ginny replied, flatly. "We're going."

James raised his eyebrows at Harry, "That's your opinion too then?"

Harry shrugged, "Ginny speaks for both of us."

"Well, you'd best go tell them all then," James said.

"I shall wait for you both here," Dumbledore said as Harry and Ginny made their way out of the kitchen, unconsciously grasping one another's hand in their own.

They found Lily, Molly and Arthur in the living room along with Ron, Hermione and Rose.

"Harry, Ginny, you're back!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up from the floor by the fire to give them both hugs.

"Hello Hermione," Ginny said brightly, glad to see her friend again.

"How was your meeting with Dumbledore?" Lily asked Harry.

"We're going with him to Hogwarts to discuss things a bit further," Harry said, carefully stepping around the truth. "And we may know where a Horcrux is there."

"You'll need help then, of course?" Lily said. "Is Albus getting some of the Order together?"

"No, just us and Dumbledore," Harry said, warily.

Lily narrowed her eyes, but didn't have time to say anything as Molly cut in to the conversation.

"Why just you two?" she said sharply.

Ginny sighed, and turned away from her conversation with Hermione, "We know what we're doing, that's why. We've done this all before, we know how to be safe about it. The more people there, the more dangerous it might be."

"What about us?" Ron blurted out. "Me and Hermione?"

"Ron!" Molly snapped. "You're not going! It seems I can't stop Ginny, especially now she's as good as married, but I don't have to like it."

Ginny glanced back over at Hermione to see her friend biting her lip, looking worried. Behind her, Rose looked equally concerned, but also resigned to the situation. Ginny and Harry had both shared the same reaction to Hermione's words; a sharp determination to make sure both Ron and Hermione survived in this world, even if it meant pushing them away. She was glad that her mother was making the decision for them, hopefully preventing an argument.

"We're not doing much today anyway," Ginny said. _Well, nothing too dangerous anyway._

"Mostly, Dumbledore wants to make sure of all the details somewhere more secure," Harry finished.

Molly hummed noncommittally, indicating she didn't fully believe them. Lily just pursed her lips, looking suddenly rather like Professor McGonagall.

There was an uncomfortable pause, as the teens waited, hoping to receive some small amount of approval. After nobody moved for a few moments more, Harry sighed.

"We'll be going now then. Dumbledore didn't want to wait."

"Be careful, both of you," Arthur said quietly.

Back outside of the room, Harry pulled Ginny into a brief hug, rubbing her back briskly. _We've done this all before without their approval._

 _They weren't alive to disapprove then. I had just hoped, maybe…_

 _I know, Gin. Better though for them to hate us and be alive than the alternative._

Ginny pulled away, flashing a wry smile at Harry. _We'd best get going then._

They walked back into the Kitchen to find Dumbledore pacing agitatedly in front of the fireplace there.

"Ah, all ready then?" he said abruptly on seeing their arrival. "You know my floo address."

With a pinch of floo powder and a rapid spinning sensation, the three of them each arrived in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts.

Quickly stepping around the teens, the older wizard walked to a display case behind his desk holding a familiar ruby-encrusted sword. Ginny shivered upon seeing it, the memories of Harry's death in the Chamber still clear in her memory despite the years that had passed.

After gently removing the sword from the case, Dumbledore turned back and raised his eyebrows at Harry.

"Where might we find this Diadem then?" he said.

"Up on the seventh floor," Harry said as he turned and lead the way from the office.

"Just a moment, Harry," Dumbledore said quickly, drawing his wand. "If I may place a Disillusionment Charm on you first? The castle is rather busier these days and I don't want too many people knowing about your presence here."

"I can do it, sir," Ginny said, having already instinctively pulled out her own wand at the sight of Dumbledore's. "We're both a bit cautious about other people putting spells on us if we can avoid it."

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said, sounding rather sad. "Nobody your ages should have to have these kinds of worries."

Ginny just rolled her eyes, not even bothering to respond to what she saw as a pointless comment. Both Harry and herself had done only what was needed to win the war. There was no sense crying over their long-lost childhoods. Maybe when this one was over, they could relax a bit.

Now suitable disillusioned, Harry followed Ginny out of the office, holding her hand tightly in his own, his wand clenched in his other hand. His first reaction upon entering the corridors was how different Hogwarts felt to the school he had grown up in. Rather than being relatively quiet, save for groups of students, the castle was practically bustling with life. There were people walking up and down the corridor in ones and twos talking and laughing together. The staircases were equally busy and the whole place echoed with noise. Dumbledore strode on the other side of Ginny, nodding and smiling to various people as he passed.

"Are these all refugees?" Ginny asked, surprised.

"Many of them, yes. Some just feel safer here behind the wards than at their own homes. Hogwarts may be a school, but it is still a castle and people are remembering that." Dumbledore said.

As they walked past a window, Harry was shocked to see a bright, semi-translucent white dome arching up into the sky over the castle from the ground just beyond the main gates. It seemed to shimmer and undulate even as he watched.

"The wards are actually visible?" Ginny asked, in awe of the display of power.

"Not particularly," Dumbledore said. "They're under attack, that's why they can be seen. There has been an almost constant stream of attacks on the wards for about three months now. We have teams of warders and curse-breakers working around the clock to fortify them faster than the attacks can deplete them. They are far more powerful than just the school wards alone. The floo we entered by is a weak point, but only I can connect it to a few specific places."

Shaking themselves mentally, Harry and Ginny tore their eyes away from the impressive display and resumed their path to the seventh floor. There were notably less people this far from any thoroughfares so that by the time they reached the corridor holding the hidden Room of Requirement, they were alone.

Dumbledore looked on curiously as Ginny paced three times across the blank wall, as she and Harry both thought _'We need the room of hidden things'_. After finishing her third lap, an ornate door appeared out of the wall which Ginny promptly grabbed and pulled open, ushering Harry and Dumbledore, still holding the sword, into the room.

The room looked just like it had in Harry's old world. There were rows upon rows of junk, piled high, continuing for an unknown distance into the enormous room. Every so often, there was a distance _ping_ or tick as some long-forgotten clockwork or charms failed. Off to one side, there was a familiar buzzing sound in a pile of old robes suggesting a Doxy infestation.

Harry absentmindedly tapped himself on the head, lifting the Disillusionment and fading back into sight. Dumbledore looked around the closest few piles of junk before raising his eyebrows at Harry.

"I hope you know where to start looking?" he said.

"Assuming it is in the same place, and assuming the protections on it are as poor as in my world, yes," Harry said aloud before reaching out to Ginny; _Stay together or split up?_

 _No reason to split up until we check where it should be._

 _Fair point._

Mental conversation over, Harry and Ginny started to trace the path through the room that Harry had taken twice before. As they passed by what appeared to be a broken Vanishing Cabinet, their apprehension was starting to peak, bouncing between one another, amplifying steadily. By the time they turned into the isle that should hold the Horcrux, the air between the two was practically crackling with energy as their nervousness started to manifest itself through their magic.

"Stop!" Dumbledore declared suddenly, his voice echoing in the room.

The teens looked back to see him standing a few metres back, wand in one hand, sword in the other, eyes burning into theirs.

"You must both stop," he repeated in the same commanding tone. "If you cannot control your own magic, I will send you both back to my office. This is not the time or place to let raw magic loose!"

They both were suddenly aware of the soft glow around their bodies, and the rapid sparks arcing between them. Harry turned and pulled Ginny back into his arms, resting their foreheads together.

 _We need to calm down._

 _I know. We've done this before, why should this be any different?_

They were bought back to reality by Dumbledore talking again, more softly now, "You've both been without your bond for some time now. You need to both remember to control your emotions lest they run away from you. I can tell you're both anxious, but I need you both calm now."

Taking a deep breath, Harry looked back to the Professor.

"Sorry, sir. We both were encouraging each other there a bit," he said, the side of his head still pressed against Ginny.

"That is quite natural," Dumbledore said, with the same calm voice. "Admittedly, I've not seen it between two bonded like yourselves, but it isn't uncommon for people to make one another nervous before a battle. But, we will stay here until you're both sure you're back in full control. I shudder to think of what could happen if a Horcrux was able to harness loose magical energy from around itself."

Ginny flinched slightly at the thought, burying her nose in the side of Harry's neck as she continued to take deep breaths. _I don't remember being so scared in the last war, when I was alive in your world._

 _We've both seen what we stand to lose now. I'm terrified of losing you again, Ginny. My Ginny._

 _We'll be fine, my Harry. If anything, this is the easiest Horcrux to defeat._

After a few moments where Harry and Ginny focused solely on breathing, they finally broke apart again. As one, they turned to Dumbledore, wands drawn, and nodded firmly at him. They carefully lowered the barriers they placed on their bond allowing their senses to intermingle. Thoughts started to blend together, as their vision doubled, and Harry and Ginny lost themselves in their bond.

"Ready when you are, professor," they said in perfect unison.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly, the only indication that they were acting strangely, and nodded in return.

"Lead the way then," he said.

Acting more as one entity across two bodies, the two bond-mates turned back to the isle ahead of them and strode down it, wands ahead of them until they reached an unremarkable small cupboard with a fine layer of dust coating it. Looking around, they spotted nearby an old silver diadem, partially hidden under an old shawl. Upon seeing it again, they were struck by how well it blended in to its surroundings, nothing about it suggesting it was worth a second glance. The only notable difference was a thinner layer of dust over it compared to its surroundings.

They both raised their wands and carefully used a combination of levitation spells to pull the diadem from its resting place to hover in the air between them. Dumbledore tucked his wand away in his sleeve and hefted the sword in both hands.

"Be ready for some kind of backlash," he warned before bringing the sword around in a smooth arc, slicing clean through the diadem as if it were butter.

There was a sound like nails down a chalkboard, and a black smoky mass exploded outwards from the remains of the diadem only to be caught in a small spherical shield around it, as Harry and Ginny shaped their magic to contain it.

After a few more moments, in which the shield glowed a bright white, there was a loud _bang_ and the black smoke dissipated. Ginny threw a quick diagnostic spell at it and detected no further Dark magic traces. With that, she and Harry let the pieces drop to the ground before closing their eyes and concentration on separating their own identities from the bond once more.

"That was remarkably simple," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

"That was the easiest one," Harry replied dully. "Defeating them isn't the issue; getting them will be the tricky part."

* * *

 _A/N: At last, a new chapter. I am very sorry this took me quite so long, but I hope your enjoy it. I've been quite busy with exams and the like, and then this chapter gave me a lot of trouble to write. It didn't end up going in the direction I originally thought at all._

 _As always, I'd love any feedback, and any noticeable errors, I apologize for. I do my best to read through it twice before posting, but some errors have crept through._


	12. Regrouping

Upon returning to Dumbledore's office, Harry and Ginny sat down in a pair of conjured chairs opposite Dumbledore as he sat at his desk. He didn't talk for some time, preoccupied as he was examining the now blackened pieces that remained of Ravenclaw's Diadem. After waving his wand over the pieces a few times, the Headmaster sat back and steepled his fingers in front of him.

"Well, where next?" he said.

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other. _The cave or the shack?_

 _We know what to expect at the cave._

 _I'm still not sure about this. We can't send two people like when I went with Dumbledore, the boat only recognises one adult witch or wizard at a time._

 _But we have no idea what happened at the Gaunt Shack. And that Horcrux nearly killed Dumbledore. We can't rely on just being strong enough to fight that curse._

Harry sighed aloud. _Alright, we'll go to the cave first then. Maybe we could find a house elf to take with us?_

 _Harry, Hermione would kill you. Besides, we should be strong enough to not need one._

"I take it you have come to a decision?" Dumbledore said, startling the pair out of their mental conversation.

"Oh, sorry about that, sir. We're just so used to talking telepathically now, it seems strange to talk aloud to each other," Ginny said sheepishly.

"It is of no matter, Mrs Potter. Seeing a bond like yours is truly remarkable. I couldn't even pretend to understand what it must be like."

"We think we know where to look next," Harry said, returning the conversation to the Horcruxes. "Although, we're not sure if it will still be there, but we have to check."

"Indeed?" said Dumbledore. "Do you have a plan for how to continue if it is not there?"

"Not at this point," Ginny replied. "We would have asked Kreacher, but you said he was dead in this world."

"If it is lost, we will have to do our best finding the other Horcruxes and then hoping we can track that one down. It is a very ornate locket, so hopefully people will recognise it," Harry added. "Either way, we'll probably have to find the cave before we can just go. I don't know where it was, you took me there directly from Hogsmeade. Apparently, Tom Riddle visited it as a young child and took two of the other children down into the cave, terrifying them in the process."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes slightly, his eyes distant.

"I may know of the place," he mused. "Allow me some time to check before we go though. Your experience there will be invaluable, I think."

"Will it take you long?" Ginny asked.

"I hope not, but one can never be sure about one's time," he said, blue eyes twinkling slightly. "There are always a great many people here at Hogwarts wishing to speak with me about some matter or other of great importance. I hope not too long though, this will be my priority."

"And you'll promise to wait until you can take us?" Ginny said sharply, eyes narrowed. "We know what to expect."

"It would be very foolish of me to go without you two," Dumbledore said, smiling benignly.

"Yes, it would," Ginny replied. "But you died in our world from a curse you didn't expect."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, "I had understood that it was Mr Potter's world, not yours. You have always lived here."

"We both remember both worlds," Harry said quietly. "It all sort of blends together."

"Most interesting," Dumbledore said. "Either way, you have my word that I will do no more than find the correct location without you both along to help me. For now, however, I suggest you head back to your families. They will no doubt be worrying if you don't return soon."

He indicated the fireplace behind them, and the small pot of floo powder on top of it, "This fireplace is connected to Headquarters only. There is no need to state your destination."

Nodding their understanding, Harry and Ginny stood and walked back to the fireplace.

"We'll see you later, Professor," Harry said.

"Hopefully quite soon," he replied, blue eyes twinkling slightly.

 _I hate the floo._ Harry grumbled to Ginny.

 _Aww, come on. We can floo together, then I'll catch you at the other end._

 _It might be a bit tight._

 _I prefer to say cosy._

Grinning at each other, they both stepped into the fireplace, Harry wrapping one arm around Ginny's shoulders. Ginny wrapped her arm around his waist before throwing down the floo powder with her spare hand. They disappeared from Hogwarts in a flash of green flames.

After some rapid spinning, they both tumbled out into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place to find Molly cooking up a storm for lunch.

"Oh, there you both are," she huffed. "Lunch will be ready soon, so I suggest you both go wash up and then you can bring the others down too, please."

"Yes, mum," Ginny said, surprisingly meekly before dragging Harry forcibly from the room. _She is in a bad mood. I wonder if something happened?_

 _No idea. Maybe we can ask Ron._

After a quick stop to wash their hands, the two wandered around looking for Ron, Hermione and Rose, who seemed to spend a lot of time together. Instead, they only found Ron, idly reading a Quidditch magazine on his bed.

"Where is everyone, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Well, Hermione has gone off to help do some research or something for the Order as usual, and I think Mrs Potter took Rose out to do some general shopping," Ron said.

"Oh, well, its lunch time," Ginny said.

"Ah, finally! Is mum still on the war path?" Ron said, as he bounded up and followed Harry and Ginny back downstairs.

"She seems to be. What happened?"

"She remembered that we're all a part of the Order now. And she found out that I sprained my ankle on my last mission. As if that is even important! I just tripped! But now she's mad again because we're not all being good kids and staying home."

Ron sighed as they neared the kitchen. "And, well, that's what has her worked up. And Rose isn't helping, demanding to be allowed in on meetings. She's the only one who isn't yet."

"Rose isn't a Weasley," Harry said carefully.

"Yeah, but you know mum," Ron scoffed. "If you live under her roof and look alive she'll try to baby you. It's a wonder she doesn't tell Dumbledore off for fighting You-Know-Who."

Harry snorted at the mental image of an irate Mrs Weasley scolding Dumbledore for 'putting himself in danger'.

"So, is the Quidditch still running here?" Harry prompted, changing the topic as they walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, sort of," Ron said before launching into a long description of how half the teams were disbanded due to a lack of players and those who did play weren't that good. "Honestly, a family match is probably more competitive than some of the matches this season," he grumbled as he munched half-heartedly on a sandwich.

"Don't Death Eaters like Quidditch or something?" Harry asked.

"Nah, 's not that," Ron said. "Too many of the good players aren't pureblood so they've run away. It's weird going to Hogwarts now days, you can meet heaps of 'em. Great if you want anything signed if they're in the mood."

At that point, the floo flared up and Lily and Rose stepped through.

"Oh, hello Harry, Ginny!" Lily said sounding tired. "Good to see you're both back."

"Hi, mum" Harry replied, stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar words. "Hi Rose. Where did you both go?"

Rose perched on the chair opposite Harry as Lily carried a few bags upstairs.

"Just out for some clothes and stuff," Rose said nonchalantly. "We still have to do shopping despite the current world. And mum knows all about muggle shopping so we don't have to rely on dad trying to shop for us."

"That could be interesting," Ginny cut in grinning.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Yes, but I want to have something wearable, if it's all the same to you," she said primly. "Anyway, enough about boring shopping, what'd you two do with Dumbledore? Mum was not real happy that you went."

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other.

"We can't really say," Ginny said carefully. "Just that it's important to ending the war."

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not a child you know, I can be told things," she huffed. "And, it's obvious it's to do with ending the war or Dumbledore wouldn't be here so much. What is it, you're both fighting battles to help or something? You both seem like you'd be powerful enough to fight Death Eaters."

There was a crash of china and they looked around to see Mrs Weasley standing above the shards of what had been a cup of tea, looking furious.

"I don't think it is appropriate for you to be fighting Death Eaters, Ginny," she practically growled. "You're doing well now, yes, but let's not forget, you've been nigh on catatonic at home for years since Harry died."

 _Yeah, mostly an act for you, mum._

"We're not fighting Death Eaters," Harry put in sharply, frowning at Rose for stirring trouble. "We're helping with a research project for the most part. We're not expecting to meet anyone face-to-face for a while yet."

 _Horcruxes don't count as face-to-face, do they?_

 _They don't need to know that._

Mrs Weasley hummed noncommittally, not looking any happier as she turned back and repaired the broken tea cup.

"Have you talked to Hermione then?" Ron said. "She's good at research, as you should know, Harry. Its partly thanks to her that you're even here."

"Remind me to thank her for that," Ginny murmured.

"We may need to get Hermione later. But hopefully, we'll be able to do most of what we need from just knowledge of our old world," Harry said to Ron.

"They surely won't be that similar, will they?" Rose put in.

"The similarities are surprising actually," Harry mused. "There are some major changes of course, but a lot of small things are the same. Neville being the Boy-Who-Lived here is probably one of the biggest differences that I can't explain. In my world, Tom went directly for me, being a half-blood like himself. So, I can't explain why he went for Neville in this one."

"Well, how did he find you?" Rose asked. "We were hidden under the Fidelius charm here."

Harry thought back to what he's alternate self knew about this world, "Who was our secret keeper in this world?"

"Sirius, of course," Rose said. "Who else would mum and dad trust enough?"

"They picked Pettigrew in my world," Harry said quietly. "Sirius thought it would be safer because nobody would suspect it."

"We nearly did the same in this world," said a new voice. James walked into the room, looking weary.

"Sirius suggested we make the switch, but Lily wouldn't hear of it. Peter didn't show his colours until the second war was started, and lost us a safe house. Remus, Sirius and I still haven't quite come to terms with it yet. We used to have him around for dinner to play with you two kids," James said, then sighed, rubbing his eyes. "He was a traitor in both worlds, then?"

"Yeah, only it worked out worse in our world," Harry said. "He framed Sirius for your death and got him locked up in Azkaban for 12 years."

James blew out a long breath of air, looking rather blankly at the table top.

"Well," he said, "Guess it probably worked out better overall in this world for more people."

"Not for Neville," Ginny pointed out quietly.

"No, not for Neville, I'm sorry," said James. "But, we must take the chance Neville gave us now. Riddle is so focused on taking down Dumbledore, convinced the prophecy has been fulfilled that he won't know to look out for you, Harry."

"Will the prophecy still apply to me?" Harry said, surprised James knew of it.

"Unfortunately, Dumbledore thinks so. Or hopes so, it's hard to tell. Your mum isn't happy about it, I can tell you. She was all for taking you away from the war now that you're here. It took Dumbledore some fast talking to reassure both of us enough to let him take the two of you off to do whatever it is he thinks will help win the war."

Harry just nodded numbly. His mother didn't want him fighting. That wasn't something he'd ever had to think about before.

 _Welcome to my world_ , Ginny said wryly.

 _There is something that confuses me about this world. I have all my memories, but some close to…well, my death, are foggy. Why was it just me that went after you in the Chamber?_

Ginny leaned instinctively into Harry, pulling some comfort from their touch. _Well, you were always my best friend even then, so its natural you noticed I was missing so early. Neville didn't go because he just wasn't around, if that's what you're wondering. It wasn't the job of the Boy-Who-Lived to save me in either world, Harry. It was just you, doing what you thought was right. And, knowing you'd do it even without being someone important, makes me love you all the more for it._

Harry tucked an arm around Ginny's shoulders, pulling her into his side, and drawing circles idly on her shoulder. _Sorry for bringing up bad memories._

 _'s fine._

"We'll help you get through this, Harry" James said, startling Harry who had forgotten he was there. "Your mother and I. We'll help you face the prophecy however we can."

Harry smiled brilliantly, "Just being here for it this time, that means the world to me, dad."

* * *

 _A/N: Here we have chapter 12. Again, I make no claims about being a fast writer, so thanks to everyone sticking with the story. This is mostly filler after last chapter. I'd hint where the next chapter is going, but this one didn't go anywhere like I was expecting, so who am I to say?  
Hope you enjoy this addition to the story. _


	13. Return to the Cave

It was only a day later when Dumbledore send word to Headquarters requesting Harry and Ginny at Hogwarts immediately. After hurriedly telling everyone where they were going, they flooed to the headmaster's office to find Dumbledore standing by the window, watching the shimmering of the wards. As the flames returned from bright green to red, Dumbledore turned to observe the two bond-mates brushing excess soot off of one another.

"Ah, good, you came," he said. "I fear time is running short. The wards will not hold forever, maybe a few weeks at best. If you know how to end this mission, we must move fast."

Harry glanced nervously at Ginny who nodded back before turning to face the elderly wizard.

"I can probably get us to the cave to check for the locket," he said. "I don't know how to find the Gaunt Shack though, I've only ever seen a memory of it."

Dumbledore merely nodded, before striding across the room to take Harry's right arm in his grip.

"Shall you lead then?" he said. "I can help you to apparate through Hogwarts' wards."

Ginny looked at him startled, even as she latched onto Harry's other arm. "We're going now?"

"Do you have any cause for delay?" Dumbledore asked.

 _You've got the wand, Harry?_

 _That, and the cloak._

"I guess not, sir," Ginny said.

"Then let us begin," he said. "Harry, focus on the location, would you? I will apparate us there."

Harry and Ginny both pulled back the memory of a cold, hard rock in an angry sea, the mouth of a cave visible only as a split in the rock-face ahead. With a short nod to Dumbledore, the world disappeared around them, as the black tightness of apparition took them all away from Hogwarts.

When colour sprang back into the world, they were standing upon a rocky outcrop, waves crashing around them. Harry shivered with more than just cold as the sea spray covered all three of them. Dumbledore looked around, interested, taking stock of the new location.

"This is the place, Harry?" he asked calmly.

Harry nodded, and gestured towards the dark shadow in the cliff, dread cutting off any words he might have added.

"A good thing then that it appears to be low tide," Dumbledore said, sounding inappropriately cheerful for their surroundings. "A nice brisk swim is ahead, I think."

Without any apparent hesitation, he leapt from the rock into the cold waters below and began swimming briskly towards land. Throwing a final apprehensive glance at one another, Harry and Ginny quickly followed. The water was freezing, hitting them like thousands of tiny knives. They both gasped at the cold, and struggled quickly after Dumbledore and towards the cave.

When they finally reached land, Harry helped pull Ginny up out of the water, carefully running a drying and warming charm over both of them as he did, earning a smile of gratitude.

Hands clasped tightly, they walked to the back of the cave where Dumbledore was already running a hand carefully over the rock face, examining it.

"The entrance is concealed," Dumbledore said.

"It required blood sacrifice," Harry said dully. Ginny shuddered, unconsciously responding to Harry's fear of the cave ahead.

"So crude?" Dumbledore murmured, sounding almost disappointed as he drew a short silver knife from his robes.

 _I don't want to know why he carries that around,_ Ginny commented.

 _He probably suspected something like this._

Dumbledore shook back the sleeve of his robe and, in one quick motion, brought the blade around, leaving a deep gash in his forearm. A blazing outline of a silver archway appeared on the rockface where the blood has splattered before the rock vanished beneath it, leaving an opening into the complete darkness beyond.

Lighting their wands, Harry and Ginny carefully followed Dumbledore as he made his way through the archway.

They were met with the sight of an eerie black lake, so vast the far walls and ceiling of the cavern were lost to sight. A misty greenish glow shone from far in the distance, reflected perfectly in the lake below it. Harry gritted his teeth as flashes of nightmares long gone resurfaced at the view before them.

"Its this way," Ginny said quietly, tugging Harry gently along by the hand, taking the lead from Dumbledore.

They walked around the lake, footsteps echoing in the darkness, the wand light barely penetrating the oppressive blackness around them.

"I assume the Horcrux is in the middle of the lake?" Dumbledore said after several minutes.

"Either the Horcrux or a fake planted by Regulus," Harry responded. "I'll know by looking at it."

Ginny frowned at the area around them, comparing the time they had walked to Harry's memory of his previous visit. The banks of the lake were no different, providing no useful reference point at all. And yet, the air here seemed…wrong. She could feel the magic humming in the air, stronger here than anywhere.

She raised her wand and spoke, "Finite!"

A thick coppery-green chain appeared in the air, one end apparently suspended without any support, the other disappearing into the depths of the water.

"Oho, very good Mrs Potter," Dumbledore said happily. "Now, let us see."

He walked up to the chain, clenching it in one hand, and tapping it with his wand. It began to slide through his hand, as if it were alive, coiling itself onto the ground beside him. A ghostly prow of the tiny boat Harry was waiting for broke the surface, glowing the same eerie green as the middle of the lake. It drifted, with the faintest of ripples, towards the bank where they stood.

Harry narrowed his eyes, suddenly realising the problem. Last time he came, it let two people across because he was underage, and the magic didn't recognise him as a threat. Now, however, he was far more magically competent, and if Ginny were to go with him, the boat would likely capsize immediately with the amount of magical power it suddenly held.

Just as he was figuring out a plan, Ginny sprung forwards, into the boat, summoning the chain in with her.

"Ginny!" _What are you doing?_ Harry half-thought, half-yelled.

 _Like you were thinking Harry, only one of us can cross. We mean to save everyone this time, meaning Dumbledore can't go. That potion is horrible, Harry, but I've never been one for sitting back waiting and watching when I could be doing something. And, I would do anything to save you from having to experience it._

 _You think I wouldn't do the same for you? Come back, let me go instead!_ Harry responded, feeling steadily more panicked as the boat drifted further away from the shore.

 _Sorry Harry, I'm doing this. Besides, the bond should help us fight it._ Ginny thought, resolutely.

Harry could feel the stubbornness, tinged with fear coming off of Ginny.

 _You don't always need to face your fears, Ginny. Nobody will ever think less of you,_ he though, with a sigh.

 _I would,_ she shot back.

"What is happening?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting their conversation.

Harry turned back to the older wizard, who looked, if not angry, at least displeased.

"The boat only takes one adult wizard," Harry said, with a sigh. "Ginny…volunteered before I could get there."

"What is over there?" Dumbledore said, frowning.

"There's a potion, that has to be drunk, if the Horcrux is inside. It does something to weaken you, and torture you. When you and I came here, you…you made me promise to force you to drink all of it even though you begged me to stop."

Harry stopped, the memory of that night mixing with the nightmares that followed, mixing with the fear for Ginny's life right now. He turned back to the water, to see the green glow and, not yet halfway to it, a single point of white light that was Ginny's wand.

Out across the water, Ginny watched as the green light came steadily closer, until the boat came to a halt, bumping up against a small island of smooth grey rock.

The island itself was bare save for the green light which, now Ginny was close enough to see it, could make out a stone shallow basin, rather similar to a Pensieve.

Ginny clambered out of the boat onto the island and picked her way carefully over to the basin and looked in. There was an emerald green liquid filling the basin, but it was opaque.

 _Ginny? Can you send the boat back?_

 _Do you really think Voldemort wouldn't have thought of that, Harry?_

 _Damn it, Ginny, isn't it worth a shot?_ Ginny heard, as she felt Harry's anger and frustration roll over her.

 _From what you remember, this will affect my mind, but not my body,_ Ginny thought, ignoring Harry. _You'll have to keep me drinking if I'm not strong enough. Or help keep the memories at bay._

 _Please don't make me do this again. Not to you._

Ginny hesitated, the fear and anguish running pouring off of Harry.

 _I'm not going to die, Harry. Dumbledore didn't die from the potion, he died back at Hogwarts. And we've wasted enough time now already._

She stowed her wand carefully in her pocket, before clenching her hand in mid-air, coming to hold the pottery mug she conjured.

 _Looks like one of mum's,_ she thought idly, noting it even had the same chips out of the rim from when Ron had knocked it over.

 _Give me some light, Harry?_

Back on the far side of the lake, Harry raised his wand and fired several bright globes of light into the air which promptly sped away across the lake to circle several metres about Ginny's head.

Taking some comfort in the light, Ginny carefully lowered the mug down into the potion, encountering no resistance, and scooped up a large amount of the green liquid. She raised it in front of her and took a deep breath before quickly downing the whole mug at once.

A small part of her brain was thankful for the few months where she and Fred had a bet that she couldn't scull a whole mug of hot chocolate in one go, as that skill came in handy now. The rest of her brain felt like it had been plunged into darkness. Screams and panicked voices echoed around the edge of her mind, but still faint enough she could retreat into Harry's mind and not hear them.

Harry, himself, went rigid where he stood, as Dumbledore watched him carefully, as a cold feeling washed over him, rather like a Dementor that was still a safe distance away. He felt helpless, as he felt Ginny grip the rim of the stone basin tightly with her left hand, her eyes clenched tightly shut.

Pushing back on the dark and cold around her, Ginny plunged the mug back into the basin, filling it again, and gulping it down as quickly as possible. As the second large dose of potion hit her stomach, a wave of weakness ran through her muscles, bringing her to her knees, slumped over the basin. The screams had grown much louder, and the panicked voices were drowned out by whispers from a young man she had never wanted to hear in her head again.

' _You're a foolish little girl, Ginevra,'_ Tom Riddle whispered. _'And now you've pulled your dear Harry down with you. Shall we kill him, you and me? I can make you.'_

"No, go away," she moaned aloud. "Get out of my head."

A warmer presence made itself known around her, shouting to drown out the horrors in her head. Ginny didn't hear what it said, but she fled towards it, towards Harry, until she regain some senses of where she was.

Her eyes cracked open slightly, to see a bright green liquid in front of her, and she remembered what she was doing just long enough to fill the mug again and drain it just as quickly.

Ginny screamed.

On the far side of the lake, Harry was almost going mad. He could feel Ginny's body just fine, but her mind was retreating away, locked in its own battle with horrors he could only vaguely hear. He called desperately in his mind, hoping to call Ginny back, but she seemed deaf to his cries.

He gritted his teeth and, hating himself every second, push his mind toward Ginny's body, forcing her to raise her right arm, pull the mug down through the potion, and back up to her lips.

As if her body knew what was expected, she eagerly gulped down the potion, before tumbling onto the ground besides the pedestal, wailing pitifully, batting at the air around her, fighting away demons only she could now see.

Harry snapped back to himself, horrified, as he lost all feel of Ginny.

"No! No, no, Ginny!" he screamed, his voice meeting her own screams across the water.

"Harry!" a strong voice said, and Harry found himself being held tightly by the shoulders, bright blue eyes piercing into his own.

"Harry, you are connected to her. You must help her," Dumbledore said, his voice radiating power.

Harry gulped, feeling comforted by the old wizard's strength, and nodded. He closed his eyes and searched around in his mind, and found the link to Ginny. It hadn't gone, he realised, but was muted and cold, as if it was being blocked off at the other end.

He threw his mind across the link, which was normally indistinguishable in their minds, and found himself shivering with cold. He heard screams, some of which sounded like himself, and above them all, a cold, high-pitched voice was mocking Ginny.

 _'Did you think you could fight me, you silly girl? You've killed your precious Potter. Maybe you'd like to do the same to your family too?'_

Harry flitted past the voice and found a small source of warmth amongst the cold fear that surround him. He wrapped his mind around it completely, and shivered with the pain of the nightmares flashing around him. Surrendering himself to the pain, Harry lost all sensation of both his and Ginny's bodies as he fought back against the inky blackness around their minds.

Back on the island, Ginny felt the fog in her mind fade away, leaving only the weakness and pain in her own muscles. Knowing Harry was fighting one battle for her, she pulled herself painfully up to kneel by the basin and to quickly down another two mugs full of potion. Muscles screaming, but with her mind thankfully clear still, she reached in again, to hear a clink as the mug hit what sounded like a metal chain.

Ginny dropped the mug carelessly and reached up to snag a large ornate locket out of the basin. She peered at it briefly, but, unable to make out the details clearly, she jammed it in her pocket without deciding if it was the Horcrux or not. She turned, still on hands and knees back towards the boat only to freeze in horror as the mug she had dropped fell into the water with a soft splash.

A few moments passed as Ginny held her breath praying nothing more happened when a slimy white hand rose out of the water and slapped against the stone island.

Scared, aching, and desperately thirsty, Ginny pulled her wand back out of her pocket, and pointed it shakily at the Inferi that were crawling out all around the boat. A thin tongue of flames burst forth from her wand, causing the creatures to scream and clamber backwards, avoiding the fire. Keeping the fire burning, Ginny made her way to the boat where she collapsed to the floor. Her vision swum, and, just as she felt the boat start to move again, she lost consciousness.

Harry opened his eyes as Ginny's mind faded. She was still there, but it was as if she was fast asleep. He scrambled up of the floor, unable to remember when he fell over, and turned his wand back towards the island.

Desperately, he threw all his magic into his wand, desperately thinking the word _Incendio._

A huge fireball raced across the water, the cavern lighting up as the red glow reflected off the water below it. When it reached the boat, the flames seemed to split around it, running right over the outer surface of the boat itself, throwing off several of the slimy creatures that had taken hold of it. The rest of the fireball hit the island with a rather muffled boom, throwing Inferi off into the water on all sides.

Meanwhile, next to Harry, Dumbledore was casting his own large walls of fire, protecting the shore next to them as more of the dead clambered up out of the black water.

Harry flicked his wrist, calling up a wall of flames that held the small boat, and by extension, Ginny, carefully, not letting anything close to it. After a few agonising minutes, the boat, which looked to Harry more like a funeral pyre than a boat, finally reached the shore.

He scrambled over to the boat, dispelling the fire to give him access. Finding Ginny laying in the boat, her arms and legs sticking about at awkward angles, he started to shake as the sight before him was overlaid in his mind with Ginny, looking much the same, laying lifeless on the scorched grounds outside Hogwarts.

He gritted his teeth, pulling himself back to the present, and pulled her out of the boat onto the rock. Finally on solid ground, he carefully lifted her into his arms, cradling her to his chest.

Harry looked around to find Dumbledore standing tall, sweat beading on his forehead as he watched the water around them fall still once more.

"I believe we have escaped them now," he said to Harry, looking with concern at Ginny. "She got the Horcrux?"

"She got whatever was in the basin, yes," Harry snapped. "Sorry if that isn't exactly my priority right now."

Dumbledore inclined his head, seeming to take no offense at Harry's tone. He turned and led the way back around the lake as Harry walked quietly behind him.

"You both did very well," Dumbledore said quietly. "I'm constantly impressed by the two of you, and your bond. It is truly a marvellous thing to behold."

Harry nodded, numbly, unable to think of any reply that might be appropriate. They reached the archway again, and after another thin slash with his silver knife, Dumbledore guided Harry out of the door, carefully helping him to keep his balance, so as to not jolt Ginny.

Once back at the entrance of the cave, Dumbledore dove into the water, turned quickly, and levitated Harry, Ginny still in his arms, to float along behind him, a few feet above the freezing waves. They reached a protruding rock rapidly and Dumbledore set Harry back down before clambering back up himself. After a quick drying charm, he grasped Harry's arm and the three of them twisting into inky blackness once more.

* * *

 _A/N: Well, at long last, here I am. I've finally had time to get back to this, and so here we are. I've got the next few chapters sketched out, and a few scenes already written, so the next chapter shouldn't take so long this time. :) Sorry if its been so long as to require a reread to remember what has happened._

 _On a different note, I want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I just checked and realised that is a lot of reviews, and really appreciate the kind words, and the criticisms. :) I've gone back and edited a few chapters here and there that had spelling or grammatical errors pointed out to me, so I don't mind those being pointed out. I know spelling errors can take me out of a story as a reader, but they're much harder to spot in your own work. Either way, thank you, and I hope you enjoy the chapter._


	14. Moving Ever Forward

The front hall of Grimmauld Place had barely finished materialising around Harry before he was already making his way up to the room he shared with Ginny, clutching her carefully in his arms. He paid no attention to the commotion behind him as Dumbledore tried to explain what was happening to a frantic Mrs Weasley. Nor did he notice Lily and Arthur following him upstairs and down the hallway.

Walking briskly to the bed, Harry flicked a finger, tossing the sheets back, and carefully placed Ginny onto the mattress. He tucked her hair down gently behind her head, and made sure she was propped up on a pillow.

Satisfied she was comfortable, he idly summoned his wand to his hand from his pocket and started to run it over her, running some basic diagnostic charms.

"I've floo called for Andromeda Tonks. How is she?" Mrs Weasley said, as she barged into the room and over to her daughter.

"She'll be fine, Mrs Weasley," Harry said absently, not taking his eyes off of Ginny as he started to heal some cuts and bruises she must have got from falling on the stone island.

"What happened? Why is she so cold?" Mrs Weasley demanded.

Harry finally turned to the rest of the room, stuffing his wand back into his pocket. His eyes swept over Mrs Weasley, who was hovering over Ginny from the other side of the bed, to the doorway where Lily stood, looking rather pale. Behind them, he could see Dumbledore taking quietly to Mr Weasley, as James and Sirius listened. Further behind them, arranged on the next staircase up stood Ron, Hermione and Rose, all looking very worried as they tried to see what was wrong with Ginny.

"She'll be fine," Harry repeated, louder this time for their benefit. "She's been poisoned, but it isn't fatal. It should take a few weeks at the most to heal her."

"Poisoned?" Mrs Weasley exploded. "How was she poisoned? You said you'd keep her safe, but you got her poisoned?"

Harry looked back at the woman who had been like a mother to him in a life that now felt so long ago. She looked mad, her face red and her wand clenched in one hand.

"I did what I could to keep her safe, but someone had to drink the potion. Ginny decided it would be her; I didn't get any say in the matter," he said coldly.

Looking back to the doorway, he flinched slightly, nearly throwing a hex on reflex as Andromeda Tonks bustled into the room, carrying a bag of potions. He watched to make sure Ginny was in safe hands before turning back to the rest of the people in the room.

"If you'll excuse us, but Ginny needs rest now. We'll explain more later when she's woken up."

He stood there, blocking anyone else getting to Ginny, his very presence somehow amplified to fill the room. The air buzzed slightly around him as he stared down both Mrs Weasley and Dumbledore in turn before the room finally emptied. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Harry and Ginny alone with Mrs Tonks, who was frowning at a sheet of parchment her spells had produced.

"She'll live, as you say, but she'll need to be on a strict course of potions for about two weeks, and I'm restricting her to bed rest," Mrs Tonks said sternly.

"We might not have two weeks," Harry said, frowning. "Aren't there some spells to help speed up the process?"

Andromeda huffed. "Not anything safe, no. There is a good reason we use blood replenisher potions and not a spell to duplicate the blood cells."

"Why? Is it just a matter of power? Because that won't be an issue," Harry pressed.

She shot another glare at Harry, as she started pulling various potions from her bag. "Look, I realise you might not like it, but she will need time to heal. I don't tend to be heavily involved with the Order, so I can't pretend to understand why it is so urgent, but I suggest you reschedule whatever it is."

Harry frowned but remained silent as he watched Andromeda tip several additional potions down Ginny's throat. From what the two soulmates had observed in his own world, whether as a part of their bond, or because of the magic they had available, they healed quicker from most injuries than was normal. When Andromeda finally seemed satisfied, she pulled out several vials and placed then on the side table.

"She will need to take both of these every six to eight hours for the next five days, and this one here daily for two weeks," the elderly mediwitch said, pointing out the different coloured potions. Nodding sharply to herself, she collected up her bag and strode out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Harry sighed and conjured a soft armchair next to the bed, before sitting down and carefully taking Ginny's hand in both of his own. He looked over her carefully, noting her unnaturally pale skin and messy hair. He reached up and carefully arranged her hair more neatly around her, tucking the strands away from her face.

Ginny wasn't meant to look small or fragile, he though. She was always so full of life and strength. She had really scared him today, taking the lead like that. Somebody had needed to, he recognised that. And, ultimately, it had worked out in the end. If he had gone alone, Ginny would have probably tried to fight her way to the island to help him, activating the Inferi as she went.

He wanted to be angry with her, to rage and yell, but all he could do was admire her strength. She had lived through a life of hell already, believing she was responsible for his alter-ego's death, and yet she was still so strong.

 _That's why you love me so much._

"Ginny!" he cried, leaping out of the chair to sit beside her on the bed. "You're awake!"

 _I feel awful,_ she thought, her mind still foggy with flashes of pain and bad memories. She cracked her eyes open to see Harry leaning over her, tender worry written across his face. _Hi there._

 _Mrs Tonks was here, she given you a course of potions to be on,_ Harry told her. _But she wasn't hopeful of you being up and about for a couple of weeks._

 _A couple of weeks? But the wards at Hogwarts are failing already! We don't have that time, Harry!_

"Hey, hey, relax." _We'll figure it out, if it even does take that long. If need be, I'll go get the ring alone._

 _But we don't know what to expect from the ring._

 _I can take someone with me. Dumbledore managed it last time, and he isn't as sensitive to magic as you and me._

 _You can't take Dumbledore! For all we know, he'll get cursed again as soon as he recognises it for a Deathly Hallow._

Harry sighed. _I know. Maybe I'll take Sirius, he's an Auror._

 _Or even your mum. She worked in the Department of Mysteries, didn't she?_

 _In research, I think. Not field work._

 _Your dad then. He's an Auror too._

Harry hummed noncommittally, unsure of what to do just yet.

 _Oh, Harry? My right-hand pocket. The locket should be in there._

Harry's eyes widened as he realised he'd completely forgotten about the locket. He quickly noticed Ginny was still dressed in dirty robes, which were slightly damp too.

 _Err, hang on a second._

He went and grabbed a pair of Ginny's favourite pyjamas from the chest of drawers on the far wall, and laid them out next to her. With a wave of his hand, he performed a quick switching spell, swapping her robes for the more comfortable pyjamas.

 _Ah, that's much better, thanks,_ Ginny thought, smiling sleepily at him.

Harry smiled back, as he picked up her robes and fumbled around to find the right-hand pocket. He pulled out the locket inside, and glanced at it, only to freeze in shock.

 _What?_ Ginny thought, as he stood staring at it. She quickly stole through the bond to see what he was looking at. _Oh. But that's –_

 _The real Horcrux, yeah._

 _But I thought Regulus still died in this world?_

 _Clearly, he died without achieving his goal._ Harry mused. _I wonder if that's why Kreacher died so much younger? He had nothing to live for._

 _We'll need the sword then to destroy it. Especially before it starts to influence anyone._

 _Dumbledore won't be gone long before he wants to know whether it is real or not. If we ask to keep the sword, then I can take it to destroy the ring too._

Ginny's brow furled slightly above her now closed eyes.

 _How will we pull that off without him becoming suspicious?_ Even her thoughts were starting to sound slurred and tired.

Harry looked over at her. _You're still pale, you should be sleeping. Let me handle Dumbledore._

 _I'm not useless, you know. I can still help._

 _Well, any ideas, before you fall asleep again?_ Harry thought, rolling his eyes but smiling at her stubbornness.

 _Yes, actually._ She thought, primly. _Get angry with him. From memory, and from what I've seen of him in this world, he tends to back off when someone is angry with him, to let them cool down a bit. Get the sword, but don't give it back. I doubt he'll ask for it._

Harry blinked. _You think that will work?_

 _You've got good reason to be angry; I was hurt. Use that. Make sure he brings the sword now, then just tell him you're not going anywhere until I'm better._

 _I guess it can't hurt to try._

Harry threw the Horcrux down on the desk on the far side of the room and sat back down in the chair next to the bed. He reached over and took Ginny's hand again, smiling when she squeezed his own.

 _I'm glad I've got you. I don't now that I could do this all again if I was still alone. I sort of gave up in the last world, after you died._

Ginny turned her head, and opened her eyes, peering worriedly at Harry. _I can see it was pretty hard. I hate the idea that the Aurors thought they needed to always check on you._

Harry smiled wryly. _I guess I was pretty high risk at the time. I only really worked and missed you._

 _I wasn't much better in this world. Once I got over thinking it was all my fault, I decided I was going to do everything I could to help take down that bastard who took you away from me. I got brilliant grades for Defence, but barely passed everything else. I'm afraid once the war is over, I don't have very good NEWTS to get a job with._

Harry couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. _Here we are, not sure we'll even make it through the war, and you're worried about rather poor NEWT grades?_

Ginny grinned rather sheepishly at him. _Well, if you had my mum making disapproving comments every year, you'd be worried too._

Harry shuddered theatrically. _Merlin forbid I face Molly Weasley's wrath._

 _Oh, stop being a prat._

Harry just smiled down at Ginny as she let her eyes drift shut again. _Get better quickly, Gin. I need you if we're going to finish this._

Almost as if she had been summoned, the door cracked open again to reveal Mrs Weasley, looking in anxiously.

"How are you both?" the woman said quietly, making her way over to the other side of the bed to peer at Ginny.

"She was just awake," Harry said trying to smile reassuringly. "But she's very tired."

Mrs Weasley, nodded and looked down, hesitating before, "I know you two are bonded, but Ginny is still my Daughter, Harry. I shouldn't be forced to not see her."

Harry looked down, struck suddenly by guilt.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just - My first instinct is to protect her now. Living without her was hard. I'm not going to let that happen again," he said quietly.

He didn't look away from Ginny as Mrs Weasley moved around the room and was startled to feel a pair of warm arms wrap around his shoulder.

"I haven't been the nicest to you, have I?" Molly said as she pulled away and tried to tidy his hair with her hands.

Harry gulped at the familiar action from his past world, "Umm, I understand why. You're just looking out for your family. I can understand that."

Mrs Weasley sighed as she released him, "You always were such a good boy, when you were little."

She cleared her throat and nodded back towards Ginny, "You're sure she'll be alright?"

"Positive, Mrs Weasley," he said, looking up at her.

"Right. And you haven't eaten have you? I'll bring up some lunch for you," she said before bustling out of the room.

Harry smiled to himself as another piece of the world seemed to fall back into place. If Mrs Weasley was back to mothering everyone in sight, himself included, the world couldn't possibly be so dark.

It was a few hours after lunch when the door creaked open again. Harry glanced up, expecting to see Molly again, but was surprised to see Dumbledore making his way into the room. He quickly remembered Ginny's idea and made his face expressionless as possible.

"How is she?" the old man said quietly as he conjured up an armchair to sit in.

"She woke up for a few moments a couple of hours ago, just long enough to tell me she felt awful, and to give me that," Harry said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at an ornate locket with a large serpentine _S_ inlaid on it with green gems.

"It surprised us," he continued flatly, "It's the Horcrux. Whatever happened to Regulus in this world, he didn't manage to remove it. Maybe that is why Kreacher didn't survive; he had nothing to live for."

Dumbledore moved over to the desk and examined the locket through his half-moon spectacles.

"Then it wasn't all for nothing," he murmured. "You should be very proud of her, Harry."

Harry gritted his teeth, making sure he sounded as if he was barely holding his temper. It wasn't difficult to recall the anger and terror he had felt earlier.

"I am proud," he practically growled.

"Then why are you so angry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Why am I angry? You – She – It was supposed to be me!"

"Why?" Dumbledore said calmly.

Harry looked at him like he was crazy.

"What do you mean, 'why?'"

"Why should it have been you and not Ginny? Does she somehow have any less right than you?"

Harry ground his teeth, trying to stop himself from shouting. What had started as an act was beginning to feel very real.

"Harry, I don't pretend to understand your bond with Ginny. But, from what I have observed, it makes you both extremely protective of one another. I don't think I've seen you apart for more than a few minutes at a time, and that is here in a safe house," Dumbledore said. "Do you think Ginny would have faired any better if you had gone across and left her behind?"

Harry deflated, "No, she'd have probably tried to get across to me somehow and triggered all the defences on the way."

Dumbledore smiled slightly, inclining his head in acknowledgment.

Running his hands through his hair, Harry sighed, looking back at Ginny.

"I think it'll take a bit of time for us to be ready to go after the next Horcrux, professor," he said coldly.

"I suspected as much," the old man said. "Do not worry yourselves. We can keep shoring up Hogwarts' defences for a few more weeks if need be. Maybe you could come and help with that, as I'm sure your strengthened magic would be a great asset."

Harry nodded idly, keeping his gaze on Ginny, "We shall see, sir."

"Very well," Dumbledore said quietly, making his way back to the door. Harry stood, stretching from his uncomfortable position, and followed the man back out into the corridor.

"If you can bring the sword, we can destroy the locket now," Harry said. "It preys on people's feeling, sowing discord where it can. We shouldn't keep it here."

Dumbledore frowned at Harry slightly, examining him carefully. "Do you think that wise right now, Harry?"

Harry brought his eyebrows together, and let his magic seep out slightly around him, making the corridor feel unusually humid. "My soulmate is lying in there, unconscious, because of that locket. I refuse to allow it to stay anywhere where it might cause any more harm to her."

The old wizard sighed and nodded.

"Fawkes?" he called quietly.

There was a flash of fire in the air and Fawkes the Phoenix appeared, the Sword of Gryffindor held in his talons. He flapped gently over, dropped the sword right in front of Harry, who promptly caught it, before coming to rest of Harry's left shoulder.

"Hey there Fawkes," he said, stroking the red feathers across the bird's chest. "Thanks for the sword."

Fawkes crooned gently, rubbing his head briefly against Harry's before he took off again and flapped over to land on Dumbledore's arm.

Shaking himself, Harry hefted the sword in his right hand and marched back into Ginny's room. He glanced over at her, feeling her stirring awake again, but keeping up the act of being asleep. Harry snatched up the locket from the desk and strode out into the opposite guest room. After throwing up a powerful set of silencing and containment wards, he placed the locket on the floor in the middle of the room.

"Harry?" Dumbledore said.

Harry started, having almost forgotten the older wizard's presence. He shot a stern look at the man before holding the sword upright over the locket, the sharp point hanging barely a foot above the closed locket.

 _"Open"_ he hissed, the parseltongue coming to him easily, a small token from hosting part of Voldemort's soul for the majority of his life.

The locket twitched and flew open revealing a pair of red eyes. Seeing the sword, a black force exploded out of the locket, only to meet Harry's magic coming fast the other way. Ginny helped, from where she lay in the other room, throwing her own magic through the bond, containing the Horcrux's insidious power in a small orb around the locket. The blackness was thrashing madly, trying to break away from the bright light glowing around it.

The whole tabular remained for less than a second before Harry pushed downwards, and the sword was impaled through the locket into the hardwood floor.

There was a terrible high-pitched scream, and then silence.

Harry looked down at the now blackened, burn-out shell of what was Slytherin's locket.

 _Another one down,_ he thought with satisfaction.

Taking deep breaths, Harry stood up straight again, wrenching the sword out of the floor. He lifted it up to eye level and pulled the remains of the Horcrux off the end and threw it at Dumbledore who hastily caught it.

"There you go, sir," he said stiffly. "If that was all..."

Dumbledore hesitated, glancing from the sword to the frown set on Harry's face and back to the locket in his hands.

"I think that will do for today," the old man said carefully. He opened his mouth as if to say something more, before closing it and walking back out into the hallway.

"We'll send you a message when Ginny feels better," Harry said, following him, casually dropping the wards on the room as he went.

"I'd appreciate that. I just hope we can end this war quickly," Dumbledore said.

With a small wave, the man walked back down the stairs. Harry watched from where he stood as Dumbledore stopped briefly at the ground floor to talk to someone before apparating away.

 _Is he gone, Harry?_

 _He is now._

Turning back to the room, Harry watched as Ginny's eyes popped back open and she push herself upright on the pillows behind her.

 _You're getting better at lying,_ she sent, with a cheeky grin.

Harry rolled his eyes, _It's your bad influence. Do you think we're doing the right thing?_

Ginny shrugged. _Maybe not, but that's just a risk we'll have to take. If we want to save Dumbledore, we don't want him anywhere near that ring until we know its neutralised._

 _What about the other defences though? We don't know what to expect._

She groaned, leaning back and closing her eyes. _Harry, we've had this argument already. We're agreed, he isn't coming._

Harry sat back next to her on the bed and reached over to tuck some lose strands of hair back behind her ears. She turned and rested her head onto his shoulder, closing her eyes as Harry dropped a kiss onto her hair and leant his own head against hers.

 _Who knows, maybe one day, when this is all over, we can worry about normal, trivial things,_ she thought. _Like you, leaving your shoes all messy by the back door or something._

 _Me? I seem to recall it was you who once said it was boring tidying up and you got impatient._ Harry thought back, poking her gently in the side.

Ginny grinned sleepily before wincing as he poked her. Harry relaxed for a few moments, opening himself to the bond until he felt twinges of pain flashing along his muscles.

 _You need more pain potion._

 _But they taste so bloody awful,_ Ginny grumbled.

He reached over with his free hand, rummaged around in the top draw of the bedside table and brought back a small vial. He carefully uncorked it with his teeth and held it up to Ginny's lips. She grumbled on in her head, but tilted her head back slightly and let Harry pour it carefully into her mouth.

 _I love you,_ she thought, fatigue making her thoughts sound faint and disjointed.

 _I love you too, Gin._

Five minutes later, after Harry had carefully helped Ginny lie back down and tucked her in, he walked slowly down the stairs, trying not to make so much noise as to raise attention. He had fashioned a temporary scabbard for the sword and had it slung across his back which felt more natural than trying to clip it to his belt.

He had just made it to the front hall and was walking towards the door when, "Where are you off to?"

Harry sighed and turned to see Sirius standing watching him suspiciously.

"Ginny is still bed-bound, and Dumbledore just left. So where are you going alone?" he continued.

"The day isn't over yet," Harry said, shrugging.

Sirius narrowed his eyes, "So?"

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, that bad, huh?" Sirius said? "You and James and as bad as each other. I'm guessing you won't be talked out of this."

Without waiting, he strode over opened the door, gesturing for Harry to follow him.

Somewhat confused by the sudden change, Harry followed him out into the night where they both stood at the top step, just outside of the door. The night was still young, yet already it was chilly and still. Tendrils of fog slunk between the branches of the trees, shifting lazily like great white snakes. The door clicked shut behind them, sounded muffled in the air.

"Well? Where are we going, and for what mischief?" Sirius said quietly, raising his eyebrows at Harry.

"Ginny said I should take someone with me," he muttered. "Fine, we're going after the next – umm – thing."

"Alone?"

Harry looked over Sirius, surprised at how calm he seemed. "This next one killed Dumbledore. I'd rather not take that chance a second time."

Sirius swallowed, looking out into the night, "Right. Well, we may as well get it done then."

Harry sighed. _Please don't let him die either,_ he thought.

"Okay, hold tight," he said, holding up his left arm for Sirius to take.

The night disappeared around them into blackness. When the world reappeared, they were standing in a graveyard.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm not sure about this chapter in many ways. I changed the direction of it so many times that I hope it still flows well. I don't think a whole lot happens, but I wanted a bit more Harry/Ginny in here, as that really is at the heart of this story. And, sure, scaring off Dumbledore might not make the most sense, but they might have a bit of a god complex about saving everyone. I think that makes a lot of sense given their histories._

 _Also, as to what's been slowing me down so much lately, I've finally finished a one-shot that I'll be posting Saturday. It isn't related to this story, but it took a fair bit of time, which regrettably pulled me away from this story. It is done now though, so I should be focused back here for now. :)_


	15. The Gaunt Shack

Harry looked around him, warily. The mist was thicker here than at Grimmauld Place, and tombstones loomed out of the darkness ominously. Memories rose, unbidden of a previous visit to this same place.

 _'Kill the spare!' A flash of green light, Cedric Diggory dead. 'Bone of the Father', a tall pale figure rising from a cauldron…_

Harry shook himself roughly, forcing his mind back to the present.

"Come on, there should be a road this way," he whispered to Sirius, gesturing away from the hill overlooking the graveyard. Standing atop the hill, barely visible as more than a silhouette in the night, was a large, decrepit manor. The old Riddle House.

"Where are we?" Sirius asked as they picked their way back towards a small gate set into the low stone wall bordering the cemetery.

"Little Hangleton, or close enough to," Harry said. "I've never been here before, except to this graveyard. Not exactly a fond memory."

"You haven't been here? Then how are you expected to know what you're doing?" Sirius asked.

"I know enough," Harry said curtly. "And I can learn the rest as we go."

"And you're sure you won't get yourself killed?" Sirius said dryly.

"Probably not."

They both stopped talking as they pushed their way out of the small gate into a small lane, enclosed on both sides with thick hedges. Harry looked up and down the lane, frowning for a few minutes before turning to his left.

"This way, I think."

He led, one hand brushing idly along the bushes, not daring to light his wand in a muggle area. Sirius padded quietly along behind him, glancing around often, as is habit to an experienced Auror.

Harry had to hold of shivering as the fog swirled around their ankles. He wished Ginny had been well enough to come, or to even stay awake. Not having her comforting presence was off-putting, and he was nervous enough without that added worry.

The road sloped slowly upwards, and the land around the road changed from well-kept hedges to messy, twisted thickets of small trees, their branches covered in moss and lichen.

Harry slowed down turning side-to-side as he walked, feeling a prickle in the air. There was magic close by. He carefully pulled out his wand, the weight of it comforting in his hand and summoned several small balls of fire to orbit around his head. The warm light was more soothing than the harsh cold light of a _Lumos_ spell and he relaxed ever so slightly.

"We're close," he said to Sirius, who had also now drawn his wand.

He was suddenly overcome by the strong urge to run, to go anywhere else, but to get away from this place. There was somewhere else he needed to be, wasn't there? Or someone safer for him to be. Why did he want to go any further?

He shook his head angrily, recognising a strong repelling charm coming from the left side of the road. A strong, but shoddily cast ward, he noted. A better version would be less obvious and more insidious creeping into his mind and playing to his fears. Pushing the panic aside, he pulled Sirius along with him to the edge of the path.

Wand held tightly in one hand, Harry pushed a few low hanging branches aside, finding a small clear area of ground that may have once been a path. His senses on high alert, he picked his way along the path, carefully feeling for any further wards that might be triggered.

Not far down the path, Harry was finally able to make out a large shadow ahead of him. Sending a few smaller fireballs closer, he made out the cold grey stone of a building. The house, if it could still be called that, looked even worse than in the memory Harry had once seen. Nettles covered almost the entire outer surface of the house, and not a single window pane looked to be intact.

The front door was remarkably still in place, but it looked so weather-beaten, Harry wondered if it would hold back a stiff breeze, let alone a storm.

"Damn creepy place you've found here, Harry," Sirius whispered. "I don't think much of your taste in houses."

Harry just rolled his eyes before raising his wand in the direction of the building. He waved it a few times, watching different colours fade in and out in the air. One particular spell caused all the nettles and trees next to the shack to light up in a dark red before fading.

He frowned, and contemplated him next move.

"All the bushes are charmed to attack us if we get to the door," he told Sirius.

"Got any ideas?" the Auror replied.

"Several, yeah. But, one is really standing out right now."

Harry closed his eyes, and reached out again, shaping his magic carefully, before releasing it. A shimmering dome faded into existence in front of them, arching up over the shack and encompassing the backyard full of twisted plants. With the shield in place, he paused, looking carefully at what enchantments he could see. None seemed to suggest any kind of relocation spell, so there was no reason to think the Horcrux would move when he did this.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Harry conjured a much large fireball than before and flung it hard into the nettles on the house. There was a muffled _boom_ as it hit, and the flames spread, lighting up the area around them. The fog fled in wake of the heat rolling off of the building.

And then, the flames petered out, leaving the shack and all nettles without harm. The moss on the rough stone walls was the only thing that seemed to have been burnt away by the fire.

Harry swore softly. "I had hoped that would work."

"Well, it looked impressive," Sirius said, encouragingly.

Harry frowned as he looked at the building, "If Ginny were here, we could try to control Fiendfire," he said. "I don't dare try alone though. We're going to have to do this the hard way."

He rapidly volleyed a few more destructive spells at the plants to no noticeable effect.

Sighing, he reached around and pulled the sword out of the scabbard on his back, and held it tightly in his right hand, swapping his wand to his left.

"Are you any good left-handed?" Sirius asked as they made their way closer to the shack.

"Good enough," Harry said grimly. "Ginny and I can generally get away without the correct wand motion if we need to."

Striding forward, he swung the sword in an easy arc over his head, bringing it down across the trunk of a particularly large nettle between him and the door. The blade sliced through the trunk with minimal resistance, and he leapt back, allowing the plant to fall to the ground.

Seeing nothing more was going to happen, he gestured with his wand, levitating the nettle to the side, where he flung it away, collecting a few of the smaller nettles along the way. The plants seemed to writhe, wrapping themselves around the severed plant, holding it tightly in gnarled, rough limbs.

"That looks painful," Sirius commented.

Surprised at how easily overcome this first obstacle was, Harry made his way through the overgrown garden, chopping and throwing away any plants that stood in his way.

He reached the door, and noted in disgust the skeleton of a snake still nailed in the middle of the wood.

"Charming," Sirius muttered, sounding equally repulsed.

Harry pushed on the door with the sword, and was surprised when the blade sunk straight through the wood, splitting it easily. Pulling back briefly, he carefully cut away at the hinges of the door, and watched it fall inwards to land with a cloud of dust.

With the door gone, Harry could feel various strong enchantments just inside the door, no doubt waiting for someone to trip as they entered. He quickly poured his own magic into the curses, overloading them until he couldn't detect any further barriers.

"This was only his second Horcrux, maybe the defences aren't as sophisticated yet," Harry mused aloud as he caught his breath and walked into the shack, the door crunching underfoot.

He continued to brandish his wand in front of him as he went, feeling out any magic that might be in the air, and coming up with nothing. The walls and furniture were another matter, and he cautioned Sirius to avoid touching anything.

Making his way into the living room, Harry stopped, feeling the malevolence in the air, like a thick fog. He shivered, and scanned the room, taking care of where he trod, as the floorboards cracked and crumbled, rot having long since destroyed the strength they once had.

He turned to see Sirius standing in the doorway behind him, letting Harry take the lead.

"Stay there, you don't want to be too close to this," Harry warned.

Looking back around, Harry approached the floorboards close to the fireplace, where the dust was not settled quite as heavily. With a flick of his wand, a couple of the boards were ripped aside, revealing a filthy golden box, sitting half-buried in dust under the floor.

Harry swallowed, his heart beating so loudly he was surprised Sirius couldn't hear it. With another careful flick, the box was levitated onto the stone blocks the made up the base of the fireplace, and the lid opened.

There, nestled in the clean interior, was a golden signet ring, set with a heavy black stone. It wasn't particularly elegant, and looked rather ugly to Harry's eyes. Etched into the stone was a triangle, containing a circle, bisected by a straight line down the middle. The sign of the Deathly Hallows.

Harry narrowed his eyes. Here, looking so innocent, was the object that had been responsible for Dumbledore's death in his old world. Harry didn't dare touch it, knowing how deadly the curse on it could be.

Without another word, Harry swung the sword around, hitting the ring hard on the golden band. Again, rather like the diadem before it, an explosion of magic seemed to pulse forth from the ring. Harry barely caught it in time, holding his wand outstretched in his left hand, pushing back on the dark tide with his own magic.

To his horror, the blackness kept on pushing back, without dissipating. He gritted his teeth, trying to resist it, his arm shaking.

 _GINNY! I need you!_

In the back of his mind, he could feel Ginny wake up suddenly, and help throw her magic through their bond, helping to contain the dark magic.

 _Harry, use the wand!_ Ginny thought desperately.

Moving quickly, Harry stopped fighting, jammed his own wand back into his pocket, the black cloud swirling up in front of him, before flicking his left wrist sharply. From a disillusioned holster that he rarely took off, another different, more ornate wand slid into his hand, sending a small shockwave of warmth through his arm. He seized the Elder Wand, and with it, and with Ginny's help, finally pushed back the swirling magic before him, just before it reached him.

The black cloud was constricted down until it was barely any bigger than the ring itself when everything went wrong. Recognising its counterpart, the Resurrection Stone shuddered and broke free on the ring it was set into, and flew fast to meet the Elder Wand, coming to rest at it's tip.

Without the wand helping to hold back the magic imbued into the ring anymore, it exploded.

Harry was flung backwards from the magical shockwave, crashing through a wall into the front room. In sudden, terrible pain, Harry tried to look up, but was barely able to lift his head. Acting on instinct alone, he summoned the Sword of Gryffindor back to him, and stowed the Elder Wand back into it's holster, where it promptly faded from sight. He caught the Resurrection Stone in his hand, and shoved it weakly into the same pocket as his normal wand, even as his vision was filled with black spots. The floor felt to be moving under him, and there was a throbbing pain in his head. Vaguely, he could hear Ginny calling out in fear, trying to tell him something, but the pain seemed to wash away any meaning.

The last thing he made out was Sirius' panicked face looming over him, mouthing words that Harry could no longer hear as the world turned black, and Harry knew no more.

* * *

 _A/N: A shorter chapter this time, I'm afraid. I could have kept going, but it made more sense to break here and have a longer chapter next time. I hope you all enjoy it._

 _If you are feeling too deprived on some Harry/Ginny goodness, check out a new one-shot I've posted, Harry and the Angel. It took me away from this story a bit, but, being only a one-shot, this is now my main story again._

 _Final comment, as I feel I don't say it enough, I really am very thankful for all the lovely reviews. I may not reply to many of them, which I apologize for, but I do read all of them and they do help keep me motivated to write more often. I hope you all had a Happy New Year, and here's to a good 2018. :)_


	16. In Sickness

Ginny sat quietly, watching as Andromeda fussed over Harry's still body. She was still weak herself, but had refused to let Sirius put Harry in any other room. Now, Harry lay on the bed beside her, as she wrapped her arms around her legs, and continued to watch.

The mediwitch frowned, as she waved her wand over the young man, and muttered angrily to herself under her breath. After a few more minutes, and several potions tipped down Harry's throat, she snapped out, "Get Dumbledore here!"

Ginny flinched hearing that, and shook her head numbly. _No, no, no. It couldn't be that serious. Please, no._

Sirius left the room in a hurry, going to find Dumbledore, as Lily moved over to the bedside.

"Can I help at all, Andy?" Lily asked.

Andromeda looked at her, frowning slightly before sighing, "I don't usually let family help, its against St Mungo's policy. But, we can hardly take him there. You're very experienced with curses, Lily. See what you can make of this."

Ginny bit her lip as she watched the two older witches mutter to one another, frowning, as they examined something only they could see.

A few minutes later, Mr Weasley walked into the room and quickly made his way over to Ginny. He sat on the side of the bed beside her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ginny leant sideways into her dad, willingly drawing comfort from him, trying to distract herself from the muted silence echoing through her bond.

"How are you holding up, sweetie?" he whispered, stroking her hair.

Ginny shook her head, and just continued watching at Dumbledore finally made his way into the room and joined the conversation with Andromeda and Lily.

After a few minutes of quiet talking and wand waving, Ginny got frustrated.

"What is wrong with him?" she demanded, standing up.

Lily looked at her sympathetically.

"You should be worrying about getting better yourself, Ginny. I'm sure we'll find a solution to heal Harry."

"No!" Ginny barked out. "I won't be pushed aside here, tell me what's wrong! If he is dying, I deserve to know. We've been bonded in two worlds now, there is no chance now that I'll survive if he dies. So, tell me, is he going to be okay, or are we both dying?"

There was a muffled whimper behind her from her father, but she ignored it, glaring instead at Dumbledore, Lily and Andromeda. It was Andromeda who cracked first.

"He has been hit by a bizarre Dark curse, that I suspect is actually two or more curses interacting poorly with one another. From what we can tell, he's deep in a coma, and his blood is trying to attack his own organs," she said in a clipped tone.

"The curse seems strangely slow-acting, however, as the blood is also being slowed down, and turned thick like jelly, probably as a result of an obscure variation on a blood-boiling curse."

Ginny cringed in horror.

"So…w-what's his chances then?" she asked.

"Because of the way the curses are interacting, the effects are spreading much slower than normal. That gives us probably a few days to find the counter-curses," Andromeda said, looking rather dejected.

"And if you don't?" Ginny was pretty sure of the answer, but she needed to know.

"The damage to his internal organs will be too great for him to survive," the elderly witch said gently.

Ginny pressed her lips together hard, holding back the sob that was threatening to break loose. She turned away, not wanting to see the sympathetic looks on all their faces. It made it look as if they'd already given up.

"Ginny, we're going to do everything we can," Lily said quietly. "I'm not letting my son die again, not if I have anything to say about it."

Ginny just nodded without looking back and moved back to the bed, grabbing a hold of Harry's hand and drawing what comfort she could from the physical contact.

Gradually, the room emptied again, leaving Ginny to curl up next to Harry, not letting go of his hand, and listening to his quiet breathing. It didn't take long for her eyes to flutter shut, and she fell asleep.

* * *

A hesitant knocking on the door roused Ginny, some time later. She looked up blearily, and called out, "Come in!"

The door cracked open again to reveal Ron and Hermione peering in.

"Hey guys," Ginny said weakly, not moving from her spot.

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione said, before bounding across the floor to take the younger girl in a tight hug. "How is he?"

Ginny shrugged, and looked away, "He's been hit by some pretty Dark curses. Dumbledore is helping to research them."

She didn't mention that he might not find anything.

"What happened anyway?" Ron said. "We didn't even know he had gone anywhere."

"Ron!" Hermione hissed. "Try to be a bit more tactful!"

"What?" he said, frowning at her. "That's all you've been asking for the last five hours, Hermione!"

"That's not – I didn't – that doesn't mean I was going to just ask!" Hermione said, flustered.

Ginny shook her head at the familiar bickering.

"Oh, stop flirting, you two," she said. "He went to do something for Dumbledore. And, no, I can't tell you what, but Sirius went with him."

"And left you here, while you're still sick yourself!" Hermione said fussily.

"I told him to go!" Ginny said, immediately rising to Harry's defence.

"Ginny?" a new voice interrupted from the door. "Are you awake now, dear?"

"Yes mum." Ginny said, upon seeing who it was.

"Mrs Potter had a suggestion for you, dear," she said, standing aside to let Lily in.

"James and I were talking, and we thought Harry might be more comfortable back at Godric's Hollow," Lily said. "You'd be allowed to stay with him, of course, but it would make us feel better having him at home."

Ginny blinked, having completely forgot the Potter's didn't live at headquarters.

"Oh, umm, but I thought you were all staying here?" she said.

"Well, we have been, but since the Burrow was attacked, it is all a bit crowded here. We were only here to be a constant presence at headquarters, but your parents can do that now," Lily explained.

"Oh," Ginny looked back down at Harry, thinking what he would want. The decision was very easy.

"That would be lovely, thanks," she said. "I don't have a lot of clothes though, they were at the Burrow, I completely forgot!"

"While you were asleep, Arthur and Bill went to the Burrow and brought most of our stuff here," Mrs Weasley said. "Your stuff is in your trunk, in my room at the moment. I didn't want to wake you by bringing it in."

Ginny nodded, and looked back at Lily.

"I can grab your trunk, if you'd grab anything of Harry's, we can get going now," Lily said.

"Would we be able to visit sometimes, Mrs Potter?" Hermione said, indicating herself and Ron.

"Of course you can Hermione, if your parents say so, of course, Ron. Rose will like the company, I'm sure."

"Where is she?" Ginny asked.

"Upstairs grabbing her stuff together," Lily said.

"Right," Ginny said, distractedly looking around the room. She pulled herself up off the bed and started collecting Harry's things. His glasses, wand, and invisibility cloak made up almost everything he had with him in this dimension. She frowned, making a mental note that he had to go shopping. His current robes would only survive so long with a cleaning charm every morning.

Seeing her mum levitating her trunk from a room further down the hallway, Ginny flicked her wand and levitated Harry, still with a blanket over him, and carefully steered him out of the room and down the stairs to the fireplace.

Lily handed her some floo powder and went ahead of her, hauling Ginny's trunk, calling out 'Potter's Residence, Godric's Hollow'.

Ginny contemplated the fireplace for a few moments before turning Harry upright again, and holding him tightly against herself, stopping the blanket from slipping to the ground. Manoeuvring his weightless body carefully, she threw some floo powder down, and pulled him into the green flames.

After a few moments of nausea-inducing spinning, Ginny finally fell out of a different fireplace, just barely catching Harry as she lost hold of the weightless charm. As it was, she would have toppled over completely if Lily hadn't been there to catch them both on their way out of the fire. Ginny poked Harry, wandlessly reapplying the weightless charm.

"Is that you, Lils?" James' voice rang out from the direction of the kitchen.

"Ginny and Harry are here too!" Lily called back, as she placed Ginny's trunk to one side. "Here, bring him to his room," she said to Ginny.

Ginny tugged Harry along, looking around the house she had been in so often as a kid, and yet, part of her didn't recognise anymore.

The fireplace came out into a small, cosy sitting room, that extended down one side of the house, with a large patio area visible out the back door. There was a wide opening out into the entrance hall, with a door leading through into the dining room and kitchen. In the entrance hall, too, was a staircase leading up to the second level, where Harry's room was found, at the far end of the hall to Ginny's left.

She wondered if Harry would remember the hours they'd had fun playing in this house, sliding down the balustrade, and trying to out-fly one another before they were old enough to go to Hogwarts.

The young redhead pulled Harry into his room, to see Lily expanding the bed with a few charms. Stepping into the room was like stepping back in time. It hadn't changed at all from when Harry last was alive in this world.

It was painted a warm red colour, with dark wood furniture and cream-coloured curtains. Stuck around the wall were various photos, mostly featuring a young Harry and Ginny trying to look innocent, whilst most often up to some form of mischief. A few showed Harry with Rose, too, including one where he had a very young Rose clinging to the front of his broom as he flew her slowly around the yard.

Ginny smiled, taking it all in. The smile quickly faded though when looked back at current-day Harry. He was pale, and his robes were still tattered from being blasted through a wall.

"James wouldn't have any pyjamas that would fit Harry, would he?" Ginny asked Lily quietly.

"I'll see what I can do," the older woman said, leaving Ginny to settle Harry on one side of the bed. She dragged a small armchair over to the bed and flopped down in it, all of her tiredness coming back to her.

Lily came back after about five minutes, holding a pair of pyjamas, and a vial of pain reliever potion which she held out to Ginny.

"You mustn't forget your own potions, missy," she said sternly.

Ginny was feeling too drained to argue and simply gulped down the potion without comment.

"How about you get some sleep, dear?" Lily said.

Ginny shook her head, "I might later. I just…don't feel like sleeping right now."

Lily sighed and nodded before heading out of the room. As she left she called over her shoulder, "Dinner will be in a couple of hours."

It wasn't until maybe half an hour later when the door creaked open again and James stuck his head in.

"How is he?" he asked, his voice sounding suspiciously rough.

Ginny looked at him blankly for a moment, before turning back to her soulmate's unresponsive body. He looked better now in his pyjamas, that Ginny had to put on using a switching spell, but he was still too pale.

James seemed to take her silence as an answer, as he made his way quietly into the room and sank down into chair he conjured next to Ginny. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, just maintaining their silent vigil.

"I'm sorry," James said suddenly.

Ginny looked over at him, "Why?"

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I guess this is pretty hard for you, seeing him like this. You never did seem to get over the last time he…err, well, I'm sorry."

Ginny blinked back tears, turning to look back at Harry, in an attempt to hide her face.

"Don't say that," she whispered. "Don't talk like he is dying again. I don't think I'd survive it a second time."

She jumped, caught off-guard, by the comforting hand James placed on her shoulder.

"Arthur told me how you used to take flowers to his grave every month," he said quietly. "Different ones each time."

Ginny nodded, fighting against crying even more, "He – he never got to see them all. I thought he might like to see them – all the different colours."

She shuddered, and swiped angrily at her face, brushing away a few tears.

"He's too quiet," she mumbled. "Normally, when he's asleep, I can still hear his thoughts, a bit. I get snatches of his dreams, or just his feelings of comfort and peace. But now there's just…nothing."

There was a pause for a few minutes, while James just sat quietly, rubbing Ginny's shoulder comfortingly.

"Tell me about him," he said suddenly breaking the silence.

Ginny looked up, startled, "What do you want to know?"

James shifted in his seat, looking unsure, before answering, "Well, how about, how did you two get together? Were you both as inseparable as this world?"

Ginny chuckled weakly, "Inseparable? He barely even noticed me until my fifth year. I was just Ron's little sister to him. He was too busy saving people to think about girls much."

She looked at his still form, and run her hand through his messy hair.

"We didn't get together until after the Quidditch final against Ravenclaw. Harry had got himself into detention with Snape, and couldn't play. So, I had to play Seeker in his place."

"Snape always was a git," James snorted. "So, what happened?"

"We won, of course. I caught the snitch," Ginny said, finally cracking a smile. "Harry got back from detention, and, right in front of everyone, he just kissed me."

"Hah! Good to see he's got the Potter charm then!" James said, grinning.

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "Potter charm? I don't think I've ever met anyone more inept at dealing with girls than Harry. Well, until we bonded, of course. Now he cheats and looks at my thoughts and memories to figure out how to be romantic."

"And that works?" James said, looking impressed.

"Sometimes," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "Then again, before he got the hang of it, he just pulled ideas from the romance novels I read as a girl, and was horribly cheesy and cliché. He wasn't too happy when I couldn't stop laughing at him."

James tried to look offended, although the effect was ruined somewhat by the corners of his mouth twitching. "Harry can't be bad with girls, he's a Potter! As soon as he wakes up, I can show him all he needs to know to impress your socks off."

"You know, I've never even considered calling Harry an arrogant toerag," Ginny deadpanned. "Why would you want to make him worse?"

James pouted, "It's been a long time since Lily has felt the need to call me that, I'll have you know."

"When did a few hours become a long time?" Ginny shot back.

Before James could respond, a silver mist shot through the far wall and coalesced into the form of a wolf.

"James, the wards at Hogwarts need some more work. Come quickly," Remus' voice said from the mouth of the wolf.

James stood quickly, all laughter gone from his now serious face. He sighed, running a hand over Harry's head tenderly.

"I'd best be going," he said before turning and strolling out of the room.

Ginny leapt up and followed him out, "I can help."

James turned, looking surprised, "That's okay, you can stay with Harry."

Ginny practically growled.

"I'm probably the most powerful witch you know, I can help."

"James?" a new voice interrupted from down the staircase.

Lily paused halfway up the stairs as James and Ginny clattered their way down towards her.

"Sirius just sent a message – " she started.

"The wards?" James interrupted. "Yeah, we're heading there now."

Lily raised her eyebrows at Ginny, "How's Harry?"

"No change," Ginny said quietly.

Lily dashed quickly up the stairs and down to the room opposite Harry's. Ginny could hear her saying something to Rose, who Ginny didn't even realise was home.

When she came back into the room, she looked over at Ginny, "I've asked Rose to sit with Harry, just in case anything changes."

"Thank you," Ginny said, relaxing slightly.

Lily patted her reassuringly on the shoulder as she walked past, grabbing a handful of floo powder and disappearing into the fireplace.

"Alright, Ginny?" James said, holding out the pot of floo powder towards her.

Ginny just nodded, grabbed a handful of the powder, and jumped into the fireplace calling out 'Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office' as she went.

She arrived in the familiar round office, where she stumbled and nearly fell over as a wave of dizziness crashed over her.

"Ginny? Are you okay?" Lily said, helping to hold her steady.

Ginny nodded, as she closed her eyes and felt the world seem to right itself once more.

"Just, haven't been away from Harry much in this world," she muttered. "Being bonded twice, it must make it stronger than usual."

"I'm glad I went first then, I was worried you wouldn't react well to the floo again."

Ginny smiled her thanks as James stepped casually out of the floo behind her.

"Come on, most of the wards are controlled down by the main gates," James said.

"Will you be okay walking down there, Ginny?" Lily said, still looking concerned.

"I'll be fine," Ginny said, pushing herself upright again. Hogwarts could not fall, not if she had anything to say about it.

The trio quickly exited Dumbledore's office, and made their way down the many flights of staircases, and into the Entrance Hall. There, they found Remus waiting for them.

"James, Lily, Ginny," he said by way of greeting. "No Harry today?"

"Harry is…not well," James said with a sidelong look at Ginny. "I'll tell you about it later."

Remus went rather pale, but nodded regardless and ushered them out onto the grounds, towards the main gates.

"Albus has been trying to support the wards a lot today, and we've got Bill Weasley doing what he can, but there seems to be a larger than normal attack going on. Sirius has already headed down to the Lake to try support them there too. Albus is worried if we don't reinforce them now, they'll fail outright."

"Hogwarts can't fall," said James, grimly. "What can we do to help?"

Remus shrugged, "About the same as we always do, I suppose. Put out own magic into them, and hope that makes them strong enough."

"We need to do more, somehow," Lily said. "Just supporting what we've got clearly isn't going to work forever!"

"I think Albus would agree with you Lily, but he simply doesn't have the time to research an alternative," Remus replied.

Ginny squinted as they got closer to the gate, trying to make out her brother, Bill, who Remus had said was already down here. Finally spotting the familiar red ponytail, she broke away from the others and jogged over to meet him.

"Bill!" she called as she got close.

"Ginny?" he turned and smiled widely, holding his arms out to catch her in a big hug. "Hey there, spitfire! I didn't know you were going to be here today."

"I only just decided to come now," she explained, stepping back as he released her. "I'm staying with the Potter's at the moment, and they said the wards needed help."

Bill's eyes widened as he looked at her, "Of course! You're bonded to Harry, you'll both be bloody powerful. Where is he?"

"Not here," Ginny said sharply, trying to ignore the catch in her voice. "He was out on a mission with Sirius and got hit with several Dark curses. He…hasn't woken up yet."

Bill winced, and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, "I'm sorry to hear it. I'd come take a look, but without these wards, it won't matter anyway."

"I can help, just tell me what to do," Ginny said, shaking away the melancholy thoughts.

Bill gnawed on his lip, looking at her appraisingly.

"Harry not being well might actually be useful to us..." he mused. "You and Harry should both be pretty good at wandless magic, right?"

"Yeah, will that help?" Ginny asked.

"Maybe. Hang on," Bill muttered pulling out a small notepad from his pocket and flicking a few pages.

Ginny waited patiently as he walked over and started talking to another wizard she didn't recognise. Looking around her, Ginny found herself standing a few feet from a shimmering white surface, which was giving off a rather unpleasant buzzing noise, and rippling slightly. She couldn't see through it, but she could imagine hoards of Dark wizards and creatures on the other side, doing everything to bring the wards down.

Off to one side, Dumbledore stood, cutting an impressive figure, with his hands up, wand clenched in his right, chanting in some strange tongue. Tendrils of white light, matching the wards coalesced in the air around him, before being pulled into the wards. Ginny watched, as James and Lily nodded at Remus, before walking up to stand either side of Dumbledore and join him in his chant. Their magic, while still viable, was noticeably dimmer, than the old wizard's.

"Here you go, just had to check," Bill said, jogging back to Ginny.

He held out a old, yellowing textbook, with several notes made through the margins.

"This spell here, it's an old one invented by a soul-bonded couple in ancient Egypt. It's been used again a few times, by other pairs in the last couple of thousand years, so we're relatively confident about it. What it does is, it invokes a very powerful protection over an area, for one partner to protect their soulmate when they're unwell. You said Harry was cursed, so it should be very strong at the moment."

"But, Harry isn't here, he's at Godric's Hollow," Ginny pointed out.

"Yeah, doesn't matter," Bill said waving her off. "It can be used to prepare a safe area, even if Harry isn't here. It isn't a blood ward, it just needs the strong emotions behind it. And, in a way, it will protect him. If these wards fall, you can bet Godric's Hollow won't be left alone for that much longer."

Ginny nodded, conceding the point, "Okay, so how does it work?"

"Well, you need to go place your hands on the wards, and think about Harry. But, not happy memories, like a Patronus. We need you to think about how he is right now. You're probably afraid for him, worried, and protective. Focus on all of that. Then, pull on as much power as you can, pull on his too, if you can, and speak the incantation, 'Custodiat animam meam'."

Ginny turned the words over in her head, repeating them to herself before looking up at Bill.

"Is that all?" she said. "It seems a bit simple."

Bill hesitated, "Well, if you're not actually bonded, it will kill you. And it'll take a huge amount of power, don't be surprised if you pass out."

"Great, just what I need," Ginny grumbled.

"I say we're confident, but nobody alive has seen this ward in action, Ginny. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't feel safe using it. The incantation is approximate at best, based on eye-witness accounts from the last time it was used," Bill said, looking worried.

"Will it be safer if it works?" Ginny demanded.

Bill gave her a long look, before sighing, "Yes. It won't be perfect, no wards are. But it might buy us several weeks. Months, maybe, if it goes well. I wouldn't normally feel confident to let you even try this, but right now, we need every advantage we can get. I just hope mum doesn't kill me for this..."

Ginny swallowed as she took in what Bill said. If it worked, it would by them time to find a cure for Harry. If it failed, she knew her time was limited anyway. And with Dumbledore busy supporting the wards, nobody was around to try and find the right counter-curse. _If I die, might as well make it worthwhile,_ Ginny thought darkly.

"Well, here goes nothing," she said.

She set her jaw, and marched right up to the shimmering wall. The buzzing was much louder here, and she could barely hear Bill shouting 'good luck' to her. She took a deep breath and carefully placed both hands on the wards. They tingled under her fingers, like getting hundreds of tiny static shocks. Around her hands, the wards seemed to glow brighter, and ripples spread a short way from her fingertips.

She closed her eyes and focused inwards on the bond, and on Harry. She could feel him, but he was cold, distant. The normal indescribable 'togetherness' of the bond was completely muted, and Ginny was afraid of never feeling it again. No, she was terrified. All she could remember was the sympathetic expression on Andromeda Tonks' face. The kind of face healers gave just before delivering news that it was time to say goodbye to a loved one.

Ginny trembled, holding back a whimper as she saw the pity in Lily's face, and the aching sadness in Dumbledore's. Trying to hold that fear, which wasn't difficult, Ginny reached out through the bond, as quiet as it was, and pulled on all of her and Harry's combined magic.

Before she could give into the temptation to simply lay down and cry, Ginny desperately thought back to the words Bill had given her and spoke, "Custodiat animam meam".

The light was blinding, even through her eyelids. A shockwave ripped through the air with a loud _CRACK!_

Ginny was thrown backwards, and she cried out as she hit the ground.

The echoing roar from the explosion petered out, and Ginny pushed herself upright to see the wards glowing a warm, comforting golden colour. She grinned sleepily, and lay back as darkness rushed into her vision. The last thing she heard was Bill and Lily shouting her name. She didn't pay them any attention though. All she was thinking was Harry would be safer now.

* * *

 _A/N:_ _I have tried to be generally subtle about Harry and Ginny being ridiculously powerful, as I don't want it to become a story about, 'Oh, they're like, so strong, wow' and try instead to highlight that, even so, it doesn't really matter most of the time. They can still make errors in judgement. But, either way, the scene with the wards just wanted to write itself, despite me not planning it, and who am I to argue?_

 _Also, fair warning, I'm about to start an intensive 3 week course at uni, so the next chapter may be a bit delayed. Hence, to stop you feeling like I left you on a cliffhanger, I'll just tell you now, it isn't. Ginny's fine, just tired. Well, recovering from the potion at the lake too, but this hasn't made anything worse. And with this, getting-too-long-for-my-comfort AN, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!_


	17. And In Health

Ginny woke up to the smell of cooking drifting through the house. Her head was throbbing again, the aftereffects of the poison from only a few days ago still making itself known. She yawned, burrowing further into the covers, not willing to wake up fully just yet. It wasn't until she noticed the body lying next to her that she opened her eyes to see Harry, still pale and unmoving as she had last seen him.

Feeling suddenly wide awake, she sat up and looked at him carefully, hoping to see even a slight improvement. She was only disappointed however, when his shallow breathing seemed more strained than before.

Ginny placed her hand gently on his forehead, noticing how cold he felt to the touch. Harry shouldn't be cold, she thought. He was always so warm, giving her an excuse to snuggle up to him in the cold weather, much to his amusement. But now, his pallid skin was colder than hers, and she felt a shiver of fear run down her back.

She looked around, distracting herself, and started in surprise at the bright and cheery room she found herself in. It took a few moments for the memories to rush back of moving to the Potter's house before heading out to help recharge the wards.

Glancing over at her bedside table, she saw a couple of small potion vials, along with a note instructing her to take both when she awoke. Screwing up her nose, she downed both bitter-tasting potions, and felt the throbbing in her head die back to a tolerable level.

Ginny pushed herself out of bed, stumbled over to the door and made her way downstairs. Following her nose, she wandered through the living room into the kitchen to find Lily taking a batch of cookies out of the oven, while Rose sat on and watched.

"Ginny! You're up!" Lily said, beaming at her. "Come sit down, dear. Would you like some lunch?"

"Lunch?" Ginny said. "How long did I sleep?"

"About a day and a half," Rose said dryly.

"Whatever you did to the wards, it left you unconscious Ginny," Lily elaborated. "We bought you back here, and you've slept ever since. Molly came by yesterday, and again this morning, wanting you home, but we thought you'd be happier close to Harry."

Ginny smiled at the woman, grateful for the thoughtfulness, but promptly sighed as she thought of Harry's condition.

"Lunch would be nice, thanks," she said.

She paused before asking, "Has he shown any sign of getting better?"

Lily's shoulders slumped even as she turned back to the kitchen bench and flicked her wand at a knife to start slicing a loaf of bread.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, but not yet. Hermione is researching desperately through Grimmauld Place's library, and Dumbledore has been trying to find some old texts he thinks might have something useful."

"So, nobody knows how to help him," Ginny said flatly, a bitter taste in her mouth.

Rose pushed her own chair back, mumbled something Ginny didn't hear, and practically ran out of the room. Ginny could hear Lily move back to the table, to sit across from her.

"Ginny?" she heard the older woman say. Ginny refused to look up, and idly traced the wood grain on the table in front of her. She didn't want to see the look of sympathy or sorrow she was surely getting.

Lily sighed, and ploughed onwards, "Ginny, we can't just give up on him. He's strong, and he may pull through yet."

"Didn't you work for the Department of Mysteries?" Ginny asked. "Did you ever come across something like this?"

"It wasn't my area," Lily said softly. "I wish now it had been."

Ginny felt sick. This wasn't how things were meant to go. Vaguely she was aware of Lily getting up again and quietly moving around the kitchen. A sandwich promptly landed in front of her, along with a glass of pumpkin juice. Pushing away the sick feeling, Ginny idly ate the food in front of her, listening to the sounds of Lily taking cookies out of the oven, and tidying up after herself.

Once she was finished, she carried her dishes to the sink, and trooped back upstairs to sit with Harry. She took his hand in hers and felt the familiar comforting warmth from the contact. But it wasn't enough. He was still too cold.

Ginny shook her head and stood up quickly. She needed to do something to help distract her. Maybe think up a plan for the next Horcrux. She knew it was the Hufflepuff Cup, deep in Gringotts, and that worried her. Even with Polyjuice potion, they would need to somehow capture Bellatrix Lestrange to impersonate her.

She leant back on the bed, and looked blankly at the far wall. Even if they did somehow capture Bellatrix, that still left them with Voldemort. He hadn't been seen in many months, content to run his battles from the shadows. If they broke out of Gringotts, maybe that would work to send a clear message to Voldemort of their intentions, like it had last time. Or, of course, there was the risk that he still wouldn't show up, and they would have to try and lure him out another way.

Thinking about that wasn't getting her anywhere, she realised, shaking her head. Lily had mentioned her mother was concerned, so Ginny went back downstairs and found Lily again.

"Mrs Potter?" she asked, upon finding Harry's mum.

"It's Lily, dear," she replied, smiling. "What can I do for you?"

"Could I floo call my mum to come over? You said she was worried earlier, but I'd rather stay here with Harry," Ginny said.

"Oh, of course!" Lily said. "Ask her if she wants some tea, and I'll put the kettle on."

"Will do," Ginny called over her shoulder as she walked into the comfortable living room where the fireplace was kept always burning, in case of emergency calls. She scooped up a small amount of floo powder from the pot mounted on the wall beside the fire, and tossed it into the flame, calling out 'Grimmauld Place!'

She stuck her head in the flames, gritting her teeth at the strange sensation of her head seeming to spin madly while her body stayed still. The dark living room of Grimmauld Place suddenly came into view and Ginny shook her head to shake of the dizziness.

"Mum?" she called loudly to the empty room.

She heard a muffled exclamation, rushing footsteps, and then her mum burst into the room.

"Ginny!" she cried, quickly moving over to sit by the fire. "You're up! Are you alright, dear? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, mum," Ginny said, quickly stopping her mother from getting worked up. "Lily said you would want to know I was awake, but I'd rather not leave Harry just now. Do you have time to come over? Lily offered to make tea."

"Oh, of course!" Mrs Weasley said. "Let me just tell your brother."

"Just floo over," Ginny said, and pulled her head back out of the fireplace.

She pushed herself back up and collapsed down on the couch, still a bit dizzy.

"Tea, then?" Lily asked from the door.

Ginny nodded, with a smile, turned back to the fireplace. Within a minute, it burned bright green again, and Ginny found herself suddenly being smothered in a tight hug.

"I'm okay, mum," she said, her voice muffled. "I was just tired."

"Tired?" Mrs Weasley said sternly, pushing her daughter back to look at her. "You've been asleep for nearly two days!"

"Sorry mum," Ginny said, pulling on two lifetime's experiences of just saying 'yes mum' and doing precisely what she wanted anyway.

"Hmm," Mrs Weasley said, giving Ginny a look that clearly said she didn't believe her at all. "What were you doing at Hogwarts anyway? I thought you wanted to stay with Harry!"

"The wards needed supporting and I knew I could help," Ginny said. "If those wards fail, who's to say Death Eaters won't swarm us wherever Harry is?"

Mrs Weasley pursed her lips, before changing the topic.

"How is Harry?" she asked hesitantly.

Ginny frowned and sat down on the couch.

"No better," she muttered.

Mrs Weasley sat down and wrapped an arm around Ginny. Thankful for the comfort, Ginny leaned into her, blinking back tears. She was not a crier, but Harry always seemed to be the reason she got close.

"I just, I hate this," she said, her voice choked.

"I know, dear, I know," Mrs Weasley said, wrapping her arms around the young witch, holding her as she trembled. "Dumbledore and Hermione are both tearing through his private library as we speak. If anyone is going to find anything, they will. He wouldn't even have got here without them. That summoning ritual is thanks to them, so I imagine breaking a few Dark curses will be easy."

After a few minutes, Ginny pulled back, swiping away the few tears she hadn't held back and smiled tremulously at her mum.

"Feel a bit better?" Mrs Weasley said.

"A bit," Ginny said quietly. "I'll feel better when they've found something."

She watched as her mum seemed to hesitate, looking uncertain, before she rushed onwards, "I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother."

Ginny blinked, surprised.

"Mum…"

"No, don't disagree. I tried to keep you and Harry apart and I didn't say a nice word about him since you got back together. I should have seen that you loved him, and I should have done better."

Ginny leaned forward and took her mum in a tight hug.

"I was upset, but I knew it would work out," she said. "He might be from another dimension, and you might not know his whole life, but believe me when I say I know him better than anyone. And he knows me too. Even though he's…he's not well, I'd rather he was here, now, than being alone again, like I have been.

"You helped me get through all those years without him and kept me fighting. And now he's back, and it was all worth it. I couldn't have asked for a better mum."

"That's very kind of you to say, Ginny, dear," Mrs Weasley said, wiping away her own tears.

At that point, Lily made her entrance with the tea laid out on a tray and some warm cookies.

Mrs Weasley sat back, taking the tea thankfully.

"Where is James today, Lily?" she asked.

"He, Sirius and Remus are all at Hogwarts again," Lily said with a sigh. "They like to be on hand for Dumbledore. And given the attacks on the wards have stopped, everyone is a bit uptight about what it might mean."

"The attacks have stopped?" Ginny asked.

"Since you strengthened them, yes," Lily said, smiling at her. "Whatever you did, it seems to have reinforced them far beyond what they were before. Dumbledore hopes the Death Eaters will back off for a few days before trying anything new."

The three women chatted for a while, before Ginny started flagging again. She excused herself and made her way back upstairs where she curled up to sleep again, head resting on Harry's shoulder as she listened to his shallow breaths.

* * *

It was dark out when Ginny was shaken awake to find Lily leaning over her.

"Can you come down, Ginny?" she said gently. "Dumbledore is here."

Suddenly wide awake, Ginny leapt up and clattered down the stairs ahead of Lily, bursting into the dining room to find Dumbledore sitting at the head of the table with an old, worn book, and a cup of tea. She quickly took a spot at the table, noticing her parents were both in attendance, along with James and Sirius.

"Good evening, Ginny," Dumbledore said, the eyes twinkling at her. "I believe I may have some news for you, concerning young Harry."

"What have you found, Albus?" James said, one hand gripping Lily's shoulder tightly, as she sat back down next to him.

The old man steepled his fingers in front of him and looked at Ginny.

"Until last evening, I have been researching possible counter-curses and potions that might help alleviate the situation. But, then it occurred to me, or should I say, to Miss Granger, that there are many strange and very powerful magics available to a soul-bonded couple. It took me until a few hours ago to find any reliable references on the subject, but I believe I may have found a…possible course of action," Dumbledore said.

"A course of action?" Ginny said cautiously. "Do you mean a solution?"

The elderly wizard gestured vaguely with his hands, looking uncomfortable, "Perhaps. It may heal him, yes. Or, it might just kill you both."

The answer was obvious to Ginny, "I'll do it."

"Ginny, dear, really – " Mrs Weasley began.

"If he dies, we both die, this is the only chance we have. What do I need to do, Professor?" Ginny said, cutting over her mother before she could get started.

Dumbledore smiled sadly, and picked up the old book, which looked more like a journal than a textbook. He handed it to her, and she brushed off some of the dust that still clung to the cover.

"I marked the relevant pages for you, my dear. That journal was written by the healer who developed this particular ritual, but he never found anyone to make it work. He theorised that, along with more power, it would work best if the magical signatures of the healer and patient were as closely matched as possible. Your soul bond allows you to share power with Harry, so you would share the same combined signature."

"A ritual, Albus?" Lily asked. "Aren't they generally frowned upon?"

"In general, yes. However, there are a great many rituals that don't use any form of Dark or Blood magics and have simply fallen out of favour. You must not forget, it was with a ritual that we even have Mr Potter here today," Dumbledore said.

Ginny ignored all this as she flipped impatiently through the journal to the right pages. She stopped upon finding Dumbledore's distinctive loopy handwriting, which simply said 'Possible?'.

"It doesn't mention soul-bonds here, professor?" she asked.

"That was my own reasoning, I must admit," Dumbledore said. "It makes sense, given the need for matching signatures, and more power, that a soul-bond should easily fulfill the requirements. But there is a risk, Ginny. This ritual hasn't _ever_ been proven to work. There is a chance it will simply drain your magic until it kills you and Harry."

Ginny swallowed, as she examined the relatively short ritual.

"You're guesses are generally reliable though, aren't they, sir?" she asked.

"Generally," the old man acknowledged. "But I am not infallible. I wouldn't have even brought this, but, from what Andromeda Tonks tells me, we may not have the luxury of more time."

Ginny read through the steps in more detail. It was quite straightforward for a ritual, involving only a few runes, some spoken words, triggering a transfer of power from the healer to the patient. It would theoretically purge any Dark influences currently on the patient, and leave them tired, but healthy.

She committed the words to memory, and stood up, abruptly interrupting Lily who had been talking.

"I'm going to try," she said simply, before turning and walking briskly out through the living room and up the stairs. She slammed through the door into hers and Harry's room and paused briefly.

 _You had better come back to me, Potter,_ she thought.

Brandishing her wand, Ginny levitated Harry off the bed and onto the floor, slipping a pillow under his head before letting him go. Working quickly but carefully, she held the tatty journal in one hand for reference and drew out a series of runes in a circle around Harry on the floor. She paid no mind to the adults crowding the doorway, held back by Dumbledore and Lily who both knew it was dangerous to interrupt a ritual.

Runes completed, Ginny peered back at the book, and swiftly made a small cut in Harry's arm, and used the blood to draw the last few symbols across his bare chest. She skipped the debate the author wrote about how useful any of the runes actually were, but she would rather be safe than sorry right now.

Finally, she sliced her own finger with a wince and traced the runes on Harry's chest once more. With everything setup as the book had instructed, Ginny took one last look at the incantation, making sure she had it perfect, and moved to kneel at Harry's head. She held her wand on the middle of his chest, her left hand on his forehead, and closed her eyes, feeling her hands tingling with the magic flowing through the bond.

 _"Expecto Salutem,"_ she whispered.

The spell reminded Ginny of the Patronus charm, so she desperately worked to focus on as many positive feelings as she could.

 _"Expecto Salutem!"_

She remembered when she'd finally met Harry once more in this world, when colour seemed to burst back into her life.

 _"Expecto Salutem!"_

She thought of their bonding, and the weeks that followed, away from the war, just her and Harry.

 _"EXPECTO SALUTEM!"_

With a last cry, Ginny felt rather than saw the magic crackling in the air, grounding itself into Harry, as his back arched off the floor.

Those watching from the door backed away, the heat pouring from the room making it uncomfortable to stand too close.

 _…Ginny?_

Ginny collapsed forward with a shout of glee, and promptly started sobbing into Harry's shoulder. _Harry!_

The world focused once more, as their thoughts reconnected. She felt better than she had in years and could feel that Harry did too. Ginny felt Harry's arms lift to wrap around her and sighed in relief at the comfort they returned.

She looked up to see Harry crack open his eyes and she grinned happily at him through her tears. _You're back._

 _'lo Gin._ Harry thought, his mind still heavy with fatigue.

Ginny just smiled, even as her vision seemed to waver. _Mind if I sleep here now?_

Harry squeezed her tighter to himself, sharing the same fatigue from the amount of magic Ginny had drained. _I'll be here when you wake, I promise._

Finally feeling safe, Ginny smiled and nestled into Harry, burrowing her nose into the crook of his neck. Together again, they both fell asleep.

Dumbledore smiled, and carefully levitated the two back onto the bed, before stooping to collect the journal from the floor.

"I think we all deserve a good rest after that," he said, as he ushered everyone else out and pulled the door quietly shut behind him.

* * *

 _A/N: Here we go, another chapter. I hope your enjoy it. :) Harry couldn't stay out of commission too long, as not much plot will be happening without them both. But, they've both made mistakes when alone now, in a way. Power alone doesn't make them invincible._

 _Between now and the next chapter will probably be a bit of a jump forward in time, though not much. But waiting for Harry and Ginny to both fully recover may drag a bit, and I want to keep the pace of the story going for now. As always, I hugely appreciate all the lovely reviews you've all left!_

 _Salutem roughly translates from latin as 'Health' and 'Safety', which seemed appropriate, I thought._


	18. Repercussions

It wasn't until around midday the next day when Harry and Ginny finally woke up. Harry couldn't feel his right arm until Ginny shifted to let him move it free from beneath her. She didn't move away though, and just readjusted and nuzzled her nose back into his chest.

 _Hi there,_ Ginny thought, her mind still foggy with sleep.

 _Hmm, Gin,_ Harry returned, tightening his grip around her now he could feel his arm again.

They lay there silently for a while, just enjoying the feel of each other alive and well. Eventually, Ginny pushed herself upright slightly, just enough to make eye contact.

 _We're never going on missions alone again. Clear?_

Harry blinked up at her, _Clear. We got overconfident with our foreknowledge._

 _Time to rest up a bit, make sure we're both recovered sufficiently. The wards at Hogwarts are stronger now, so we've bought ourselves some time,_ Ginny replied.

 _We might need that time to escape from our mums again. I doubt they'll be that happy with us._

Ginny groaned, and let her head slump back onto Harry's chest. _Can I just hide here, while you go face them alone?_

 _Nope, I need you to help me walk downstairs at least._

 _Then I can come back here?_

 _Good luck escaping them._

 _Ergh, fine._

Ginny blearily rolled off of Harry and swung her legs over the side of the bed before looking back at him over her shoulder as he sat up. Harry pushed himself stiffly over besides her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. With her own arm around his waist, Ginny stood, helping to pull him upright again as his legs trembled beneath him.

 _I feel as weak as a kitten,_ Harry grumbled.

 _You're not cute enough to be a kitten._

Harry snorted. _Thanks for that, love._

Slowly, Ginny stepped away from Harry leaving him to stretch as his muscles complained with cramp, ready to catch him if he wobbled too much.

"Will you be alright?" she asked.

Harry smiled, "I'm just stiff and tired. I'll be fine after a warm shower."

 _We could have one before breakfast, if you can wait?_ Ginny suggested.

Harry considered it seriously, before his stomach sent a pang of hunger through him. _Breakfast first, then shower._

They made their way downstairs, Harry clinging with one hand to Ginny's shoulder, and the stair rail with his other. They had just entered the living room on the way to the kitchen when they found Lily, James, Remus and Sirius.

"Harry!" Sirius said, being the first to spot them. "Finally decided to get up, did you?"

"Felt like a lie in," Harry croaked, his throat still very dry, as he moved slowly towards the table.

"Oh, Harry," Lily said, hurrying over to engulf both Harry and Ginny in a hug. "I'm glad you're better. Both of you."

"Got any breakfast?" Harry mumbled into her shoulder.

"Hah, just nearly died and all he can say is 'where's the food?'", James said, grinning at him.

"He hasn't eaten in days, James, give him a break!" Lily snapped as she guided Harry into a chair and starting heaping sandwiches in front of him.

"'s fine," Harry muttered after a long swig of pumpkin juice.

"What's been happening?" he asked before biting into a sandwich.

"Not much," Ginny started.

"Unless you count nearly killing yourself recharging some of the strongest wards in Briton," Remus said.

Ginny shot him a glare as Harry jerked upright and started rifling through Ginny's recent memories.

 _And you say I've got a hero complex?_

 _Clearly, you're rubbing off on me, so it's still your fault._

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Your logic is astounding," he said dryly. "Err, not you Remus."

"You should try to keep your conversations aloud for the rest of us," Lily reprimanded, as understanding overtook confusion on Remus' face.

"Sorry, mum. Go on Remus?" Ginny said quickly, answering for Harry as he ate.

"There isn't much to report actually," Remus said. "Given the sudden increase in the wards, Voldemort seems to know something has changed. The attacks against them have stopped for now. We suspected he was out of the country before, but it's likely he will return now to see for himself."

"So its all quiet for now?" Ginny asked.

"It won't last," Remus said. "He knows Dumbledore couldn't strengthen them like that, so he knows there is a new player on the field."

"Which means you and Harry need to be even more careful now," James said. "We thought he was looking for you before, Ginny. If he still thinks he could control you, he may make that a priority now."

"Let him try," Harry scoffed around a mouthful of his second sandwich.

"No, let's _not_ let him try!" Lily snapped. "You've been reckless enough!"

"Lils," James said, cutting her off, before turning back to Harry and Ginny.

"Your mother's right, and we do need to have that conversation, once you've finished eating," James added, uncharacteristically serious.

Harry glanced over at Sirius in the hope of support, only to get a slight shrug in response.

"After we've eaten and showered," Ginny muttered, echoing Harry's thoughts aloud.

"I'll floo Molly then," Lily said firmly. "I believe she had a few things she wanted to say too."

Ginny just groaned.

An hour or so later, now in clean clothes and feeling much more awake, Harry and Ginny sat down in the living room, feeling very much like they were on trial. Arrayed on the other chairs around them were Lily, James, Molly and Sirius, all of them wearing grave expressions. Remus had returned to headquarters to ensure there was still a member of the Order to contact.

"Perhaps we should start with asking what on earth you thought you were doing going away on a dangerous mission, not just without Dumbledore, but while Ginny was unwell too?" Lily asked Harry in a no-nonsense voice that reminded him eerily of Professor McGonagall.

"Sirius was with me," Harry pointed out.

"I know that, and believe me, he knows not to allow that again!" Lily snapped.

"We had our reasons for not wanting Dumbledore anywhere near that shack," Ginny said.

"It made sense then to do it while he wasn't watching us. If he thought we were waiting for Ginny to recover, it was the best time to go," Harry finished.

"What reasons?" Molly interjected. "Why wouldn't you want Albus, of all people, to go?

Harry sighed, and rubbed his hands over his eyes.

"In my world, he went to the shack and found something that affected him very personally. He dropped his guard and tripped a slow-acting fatal curse. Ginny and I knew the risks, and always planned to keep Dumbledore away from that shack," he said.

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't take someone other than just Sirius with you," James said quietly. "The more people that went –"

"The higher likelihood someone would've triggered some other trap," Ginny interrupted. "Not to mention a large group of wizards skulking around Tom Riddle's old family home might drawn unwanted attention."

There was a pause, before Lily, after a nudge from Molly narrowed her eyes at Harry and Ginny.

"Molly and I, along with James and Arthur, have decided you should both stay here, at least until you can prove you're both recovered. No more _missions_ or even meetings. Albus has agreed to this, so don't think you can overrule us on this," Lily said.

"We're both of age!" Ginny said hotly.

"And you've both nearly got yourselves killed within the last two weeks!" Molly said, her voice rising to match. "And let's not mention the fact you ran straight into an unknown situation when evacuating the Burrow! Thank goodness Harry here wasn't a Death Eater, given the recklessness you showed!"

"The point being," James said loudly, cutting off the argument Ginny was preparing, "you've both acted very rashly of late."

He leant forward, and continued in a much calmer tone, "We want this war over as much as you two, but, as your parents, we want to see you both alive at the end of it. Can you promise us that you'll plan a bit before rushing into anything from now on? And I mean plan aloud, with other, more experienced members of the Order, not just between yourselves."

Ginny glanced over at Harry, _They don't say we have to plan with them. We can still keep them safely out of this._

 _I wonder if Hermione was onto something when she accused me of having a 'saving people thing',_ Harry replied dully. _Are we just making things worse by finding loopholes?_

 _We've lived through a war where they all died, once, Harry! We can't do that again, not when we've got a chance to save them. I'd rather they were furious with us, than dead, any day!_

 _So, we agree to the promise then? Find a work-around later?_

 _I think it's best._

"We promise," Harry and Ginny said together.

The adults around the room sighed with relief, and one-by-one stood to hug the two teens.

"Thank you," James said. "We needed to know you'd both be safe."

"Mind you come visit your old mum sometimes, now that Harry is awake again," Molly said, as she hugged Ginny. "Your brothers have been missing you, as has Hermione and Rose."

"I may come visit tomorrow, mum," Ginny said. "If Harry is feeling up to the trip."

"I'll be there," he said, ignoring the dizziness he felt as he stood to return the hugs.

After Molly flooed back to headquarters, Lily retreated to the kitchen to mind some various healing potions she was preparing, while James and Sirius moved to James' study.

Harry and Ginny returned to their room, where Harry sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, while Ginny stood warily by him, watching carefully.

 _You're still quite weak,_ she commented.

 _Yeah, I figured that. Staying here for a bit is probably a good idea anyway._

 _So, what is our next move?_

Harry leant against the bedpost, and looked idly at the floor, thinking. _If we want to keep mum and dad safe, then we can't let them be involved._

 _But they've also stopped Dumbledore visiting, apparently. And I doubt this is the kind of thing to put in a letter._

 _We need the cup, which means we need to get into Bellatrix's vault._

Ginny's eyes went wide, _Would Sirius have any access there? He is family, technically._

 _I doubt it,_ Harry replied gloomily. _I can't see the purebloods making it easy for each other to access their vaults. I'd honestly be surprised if her own husband has access._

 _But still, Sirius is less likely to try and stop us fighting. Maybe we should talk to him? At the very least we can ask him to talk to Dumbledore,_ Ginny suggested.

 _Worth a shot, I suppose. We just need to catch him alone, without dad._

 _We've nothing else to do._

It was a couple of hours before Harry heard footsteps coming along the hall outside the door. He closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out to try and feel the aura of the person in the corridor.

 _Here he comes,_ he warned.

As Sirius walked past the bedroom door, Ginny darted out and yanked him in by the arm, pushing the door shut behind her. Harry threw a locking charm at the door for good measure.

"What the hell?" Sirius said, disorientated.

"We need some help," Ginny said.

Sirius looked from the expectant look on her face, to the determined look on Harry's.

"Oh no. Nope. Don't even think about it!" Sirius said sharply. "I've already been hexed by James and shouted at by Lily for taking you on a mission once!"

"This is different," Harry started, only to be interrupted immediately.

"Is it?" Sirius demanded. "It had better be different, because right now it looks like you're trying to go behind your parents' backs again!"

"We're trying to come up with a plan, and we think you might be able to help," Ginny said.

"We meant it when we agreed to stay here and recover first," Harry added. "But we need to start planning the next step, and we'd rather keep mum and dad out of it."

"Why?" Sirius asked, eyes narrowed.

"Because we don't want to see them die," Harry said bluntly.

"But dying yourselves is just fine, is it?"

"We have no intention of dying, Sirius," Ginny snapped. "But we also want to try and get this over with quickly."

Sirius glared between the two for a few moments.

"What are you trying to plan?" he said, guardedly.

Harry shrugged, "We need to break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts."

Sirius stared.

"Polyjuice potion can work, but we'd need to capture Bellatrix to do that," Ginny added.

Sirius continued to stare.

"You want to do what?!" he growled.

"Break into Gringotts, yes," Harry said. "I've done it once before, with Polyjuice, but I'm not above suggesting the Imperius curse either. Ginny and I just have a lot of trouble casting it."

"What, and you think I'd be good at it?" Sirius asked, incredulously.

"We think Polyjuice would be better," Ginny said, "But, ultimately, yes, you'd be better than either of us if it does come to that."

"And how do you expect to capture Bellatrix of all people?" Sirius asked. "It isn't as if we haven't tried!"

"That's why we need a good plan," Harry said promptly.

"We were thinking you could talk to Dumbledore, and see if he has any good ideas," Ginny said.

Sirius groaned, and scrubbed his hands over his face, "Fine, I'll try and see what I can do. But if Lily and James get wind of it, I'm not hiding it from them. I'm not sure I see any good reason to keep them out of this, they're some of the best fighters the Order has."

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry said. "I'm sorry to ask, but I know you won't stop Ginny and I being involved. And right now, I'm not so sure mum would do the same."

"My mum would definitely try to keep us out of this," Ginny muttered.

"But I'm not going to discuss what we've come up with, or our plans, or anything until you're both back to full health," Sirius said. "No more going on missions without being able to watch each other's backs. I might not like you being in this war, but I'm not stupid enough to miss that you work well together."

"Deal," Harry said.

"We'll let you know when we're better," Ginny said.

"I'm be confirming that with Lily," Sirius warned, as he walked back over to the door, which unlocked as he reached for it.

Harry just rolled his eyes and Sirius left the room, a slight frown across his face.

 _Well?_ Ginny asked.

 _Now we wait._

* * *

 _A/N: Welcome back. It has been quite some time, hasn't it? Along with final year uni keeping me very busy last year, I was a bit stumped a lot with this chapter, hence why it is a bit shorter. Sorry it took quite so long. With any luck, I may even finish this story this year._

 _I know James seems to be very serious here, but I think he'd have learnt to act as the more reasonable counter to Lily's fiery temper over the years._

 _As always, let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy. :)_


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